Please Be My Angel
by NightmareGlitter
Summary: Chazz has given up on Alexis. Falling into a deep depression, he wonders if he will ever find love. Could Aster be the solution to all his problems even if he doesn't like it? yaoi Bunnyshipping constructive criticism is Ok, please RxR
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My third yaoi/shonen-ai fic. Poor Chazz. I need to stop portraying him as such. Anyway, this pairing is of ChazzxAster. I call it Bunnyshipping, b/c I drew this hilarious picture of them as playboy bunnies…Ahem. Sorry Chazz. Sorry readers. I also will call it Moneyshipping, since they're both rich. (ambercharae came up w/ that one) There will be hints of Chazz and Alexis, but only in a comforting sense. Not as a pairing. Anyway, constructive criticism is allowed, even if it is harsh, so long as you say one nice thing or make it clear you aren't flaming me. No flames whatsoever. Please RxR and enjoy: )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Chazz. Right now, Chazz is giving me this evil look for making him gay. Therefore, I apologize in advance to Chazz. I am sorry. I promise I will update Only Sixteen today so you can be w/ Alexis.**

**Chazz: AS YOU SHOULD!!!**

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Chapter 1:

Chazz sat under the tree, reading the note, stunned. Even after reading through it fifteen times, it still slapped him sharply across the face. Yes, Alexis had rejected him before, but not like this. Oh, no, never like this. She had actually cussed him out and told him he was worthless, completely unloved by the world. At this point, he wanted to die.

Crawling back to his room where he could properly hide and cry, Chazz tore the note up into little bits and tossed them into the wind. He watched in bitter fascination as they floated with the breeze down towards the ocean. Then, he stepped inside his room and slammed the door.

"Alexis is right." He muttered, ripping his clothes off before he stepped into the bathtub, "No one will ever love me. I'm a complete failure at life. I should just go die."

He angrily wiped away a few tears that had gathered at the corner of his eye. Even in the privacy of his room, he would not allow himself the disgrace of crying. He was an elite duelist, after all. He was a Princeton. He should not be shedding tears for any reason. He should be proud and brave.

_"You need to act like a Princeton."_

He cringed, hearing his brothers' voices ringing in his ears.

_"Is that the best you can do, Chazz? Pathetic! You're no brother of ours."_

Hearing his brother spit out his name as though it were profane made him wince all the more. Why must everyone hate him so? It was completely unbearable. He didn't want to live through this.

Sighing heavily, he sank lower into the steaming water, trying to forget the burden of life. He stared up at the ceiling, uncertain of where to turn now. Would no one ever accept him? Would no one ever like him? What if he never got married? What if he never had a family?

Moaning at the thought of this, he grabbed for his razor and began to slash away at his arms. The more pain that penetrated his broken heart, the harder and more viciously he cut. He sliced deeper and deeper until crimson pools formed at his elbows. Yet he still denied himself the right to cry.

Feeling like a fool, he placed the razor back on the soap dish and contemplated life. He rinsed the blood away and stopped the bleeding, wishing he could get used to the fact that he did this, wishing he could stop. He hoped that someone, anyone, would help him. If no one saved him now, no one ever would.

Sighing deeply, he gave up hope at being happy and surrendered to his depression.

The following morning, Chazz went to class early, so he could talk to Alexis. He was in luck, for she was sitting at her seat, doodling. He approached her with caution, ready to deter any attack she might direct towards him, whether it was verbal or not.

"Hey, Alexis."

She looked up, suspicious. "Hi."

"I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"It won't take long, I promise."

"Fine."

"Alexis, I won't chase you anymore."

"What?"

"I said, I'm done with you. I get the point. I give up. You don't have to deal with me anymore."  
"Oh." She did not seem as elated as he hoped she would. In fact, she seemed a bit disappointed. "Chazz, I--"

"No, don't. I understand that you don't like me and you never will. I'm not stupid. You don't love me. You don't have any feelings for me. In fact, you don't like me in the least! I'll leave you completely alone, I promise. I won't talk to you anymore. And I won't upset you by even calling you my friend. Sorry I bothered you."

He began to walk away.

"Chazz, wait."

"What do you want with me?"

"I…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for treating you so harshly yesterday. I didn't mean to get that angry. It's just, I had a migraine and you bothered me all day. Atticus wouldn't leave me alone, and Harrington tried to beat Jaden up again. I've been having a really bad week, and it all got to me and made me snap. I'm sorry I cussed you out. No, I don't want to be your girlfriend. But can we still be friends? I do like your company."

He sighed heavily. "Fine. Though it pains me so. I swear, Alexis, you will be the death of me. Ok, Ok. I forgive you."

She offered him a smile. He found he was incapable of returning it. As he started to leave the classroom, he crashed into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped.

"Whoa, chill." Aster stooped down and picked up his things. "You don't have to get so angry about it."

Straightening up, his blue eyes looked right into Chazz's, causing him to catch his breath. Was it just him, or did his heart just skip a beat? Quickly, he shook his head, clearing it of this thought.

"Sorry." He muttered, slipping out of the classroom.

"Whatever, bro." Aster called, shaking his gray hair out of his eyes. He kept staring at the doorway where Chazz had exited for a long time.

At lunch, Chazz once more stormed through the doorway, ranting to Jaden about how he hated Casserole Surprise Day.

"I hope that whatever dog food they serve The Chazz does not contain carrots or have come in contact with that foul, rancid, potent, toxic waste. In fact, they'd better separate each component of my lunch because I can't have my foods touching. That's disgusting."

Jaden smiled good-naturedly. "Chazz, that's the point of a casserole."

"I don't care!" Chazz snapped, "Casserole is disgusting. You know what? I think I'll sue the school for making Casserole Day or whatever the hell this day is called."

"Casserole Surprise Day," Jaden corrected.

"Whatever! I don't care. I hate the food here. I know! If none of us eats this slop, then they'll have no choice but to stop serving it. So what do you say to a hunger strike?"

"I'm too hungry," Jaden replied, "Besides, I like casserole."

"Jaden, you'd like anything as long as someone put some salt on it and put it on a plate. You'd probably even eat a leather boot, as long as it had been fried."

Jaden failed to respond to this comment. He was already in the lunch line, taking one portion of every casserole and flattering Miss Dorothy.

Chazz grimaced as Miss Dorothy giggled. "Oh, Jaden, you're such a gentleman."

"Oh, Miss Dorothy," Chazz mimicked softly, "You're such a _pedophile_."

"That was mean, Chazz." Aster laughed, coming up behind him.

Chazz jumped a mile. "AAAH! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Aster snickered, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. "You're so dramatic. What's your problem, anyway?"

"I hate casserole day."

"Well, good luck with that. Later."

"Wait, where are you going? Aren't you gonna eat?"

Aster turned and smirked at Chazz. "Of course. My personal chef is going to whip me up some London Broil with his specialty sauce, a baked potato with Colby Jack cheese, and a side of asparagus."

Chazz was almost drooling. "That sounds good. Damn, I don't want to eat casserole. I'm used to ten course meals in six star restaurants! I can't eat this slop!"

"Well, I would invite you to dine with me…" Aster began.

Chazz looked at him with hopeful, puppy eyes.

"…but, I don't think I will. Later."

"No, wait! Please, Aster? I can't handle this crap. My dietician would go crazy if she knew I was eating this. My mom would freak too."

Aster pondered this for a moment. "Oh, all right. You can come. But only because I like you and you're cute." He winked at Chazz.

Chazz felt heat rising to his cheeks. "Uh…O-kay. Works for me."

He happily followed Aster to his yacht.

"Wow. Nice yacht." Chazz said, then bragged, "Of course, mine is bigger. And more expensive."

"Lunch isn't over yet," Aster reminded him, "There's still time for you to get some of Miss Dorothy's famous 'Mystery Casserole.'"

"Of course, mine isn't as aesthetically pleasing as yours!" Chazz quickly invented.

"Nice save."

Aster excused himself to go retrieve the food. Thankfully, there was enough for the two of them. The meal was exquisite; however, the conversation needed some work.

"Uh," Chazz tried, "So, Aster…what do you like to do?"

"I like dueling, duh. And sports."

"Uh-huh. I see. So, um, what kind of music do you like?"

Aster shrugged. "I don't really like music. I don't have time."

"Oh. I see. Um…what's your favorite thing about this school?"

"Nothing. I see no point for me to be here."

"Oh. I hate it too."

"I mean, it's a good school, but I don't belong here. I would've loved to go here before I went pro."

"Oh, well, I meant I hate it because…I feel like I'm too good to go here…"

"That's your problem," Aster said, chewing on his steak and pointing his fork at Chazz, "You're too arrogant. You're too uptight. Just relax."

Chazz sighed heavily. "Oh, brother, there we go again. Alexis said the same thing."

Aster looked at him curiously. "What'd Alexis say?"

"Just what you said, only ten thousand times meaner. She cussed me out. Sure, she apologized, and I forgive her, but I don't like her anymore."

"Really?" Aster raised an eyebrow. "Over one little incident? Harsh."

"No, no! That's not what I meant." Chazz was getting frustrated, "I mean, she's been mean to me for a long time. I've had it with her."

"Oh, in that case, I understand."

Aster rested his chin in his hand and looked at Chazz through slanted blue eyes. Chazz gulped nervously, feeling his heart begin to thump. He'd never felt this nervous except for when he was around Alexis. Could this mean….

"Chazz," Aster asked, "are you gonna be all right?"

Chazz nodded. "I'm fine. I just…have been through some rough times."

Aster nodded slowly, then caught sight of a long scar extending from beneath Chazz's sleeve.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that?" Chazz laughed nervously, "I accidentally scraped my arm against my…duel disk."

Aster looked more concerned. "Chazzy, are you honestly Ok?"

Chazz froze, hearing Aster refer to him as such. "Aster, are you coming on to me?"

Aster laughed nervously, breaking his cool. "Well…"

Chazz scowled. "Well?"

Aster blushed. "Maybe."

"Do you like me or something?"

Aster finally nodded. "I already told you back in the cafeteria. You're cute. You're adorable, actually."

Chazz sighed, but blushed despite his bitter expression. "Ok, Ok, I get it. This is just some cruel joke. Next thing I know, some guy with an MTV crew is gonna jump out and scream 'You just got punked!' Am I correct?"

"Nope." Aster admitted, "I really like you."

"Yeah, right." Chazz scoffed, "Maybe when pigs fly. Maybe when--"

Aster leaned over the table and kissed Chazz, catching him off guard. Chazz just sat there stupidly as Aster pulled him in a deeper kiss and held him close. After a moment, Aster touched his tongue to Chazz's lips, asking to go in. Chazz scowled and kept his mouth shut tight. Aster finally pulled away, looking a bit hurt.

"Chazz…"

"No, I don't want to hear it. How dare you kiss me like that! I hardly even know you! And I'm not gay!" he quickly said.

But deep inside, he felt a little hot over the kiss. He felt his heart racing abnormally and wished that they could've kept going. He quickly shook his head, clearing his mind of these thoughts.

"Chazz," Aster said as Chazz stepped off the yacht in faux indignant disgust, "if you ever change your mind…"

Chazz cast him what he hoped was an angry glare. "In your dreams."

Aster smirked a little. "Oh, I get it, Chazz. You don't want to admit you have feelings for me."

"Don't go there, bitch."

"Oh, so now you're playing dirty. Chazz, if you ever need a girlfriend…"

"Dumbass, you're not a girl…are you?"

"You wanna find out?" Aster asked, winking.

"Hell, no. Back off, bitch."

"Oooh, feisty. I like that in a man."

"Stop talking like that!"

"Ok, Ok, I'll stop. Sorry. Well, see ya, Chazz."  
Chazz stared at how calm Aster was acting, as though nothing had happened at all! He stormed back towards the school, trying to ignore the rising attraction inside of him. There was no way that The Chazz was gay. There was no way that Asshole would get his way with him. If that were the case, then why did Chazz feel sad at the thought of never kissing him again? He did not want to know.

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**A/N: Hope you liked! Please review. And I don't know how often I will update it seeing how I have more stories than I can count that I need to update and I have four communities to work on. **

**Chazz: You're so cruel.**

**Me: I know.**

**Chazz: Please don't tell me you're a rabid yaoi fangirl.**

**Me: Nope. I dabble in it.**

**Chazz: Then why did you write three stories today about me and guys?**

**Me: Get over it. **

**Chazz: WHAT?!!!**

**Me: I SOWWY! Don't worry, Chazz, like I said before, I will reward you.**

**Chazz: I'm not so sure it's worth it.**

**Me: Aww, come on…just think…lemon scene w/ Alexis.**

**Chazz: FINE!!! (storms off)**

**Me: Sorry about that. But I really AM a Valentineshipping fan. I've got to get back to writing Only Sixteen before Chazz decided to grab an axe and murder me in a most unpleasant manner.**

**Chazz: Here I come…**

**Me: I gotta go. Chazz, don't!**

**Chazz: just kidding. I'M NOT GAY!!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, I'm updating for all you lovely readers who asked. But, alas, Chazz has still not recovered from last time….**

**Chazz: I won't let you keep me in your closet anymore if you don't stop.**

**Me: Oh, come, come, Chazz, just enjoy it. At least I'm giving you attention. At least you're my favorite man.**

**Chazz: I don't care! Leave me alone! (storms off to sulk)**

**Me: (sweatdrops) anyway, please read and review: )**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own GX. It appears that I still don't own Chazz either. sigh**

**Oh, and thanks to ambercharae for tweaking my chapter and helping me with the first part. The second part…needs some work. Oh, well. I'll make up for it in the next chap when I use your idea about Sartorious. You rox : P**

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Chapter 2

Chazz took his seat in the classroom, sulking. Of all things to happen! Why did Hasslebury have to break the plumbing while he was sleepwalking? Seriously? Who sleep walks? Now to make things worse, Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum, and Tweedle-dumber were living in _his _room, sleeping on _his_ bed, and using _his_ shower. Gah! Talk about an invasion of privacy! And you did not want to shower after Hasslebury, that is, when he finally did shower.

Chazz then glanced over at the doorway, and much to his dismay, Aster stepped into the classroom. Chazz sniffed indignantly. Just the thing to make his morning worse. The very reason he'd hidden out in the classroom, before the bell signaled it was time for class, was to escape all traces of mankind. And now Asshole had to come to bother him. Well, wasn't that just peachy! What if Aster tried to steal another kiss? Chazz shook his head at the thought. He really hoped Aster wouldn't try to steal another kiss.

Yet, at the same time, why did his heart pound so at the memory? He tried desperately to ignore it. He figured it was a passing feeling; it would have to go away eventually.

"Hello Chazz," Aster nodded in his direction with a smirk and a gleam in his azure eyes.

Chazz gulped, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. "Hey, Aster," he said, mentally cursing himself because his voice sounded so weak.

Aster set his things down; seemingly unaware that Chazz was uncomfortable in his presence. He then seated himself comfortably next to Chazz. "So, what's up?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Uh, nothing." Chazz answered while he glared, and managed to successfully repress a blush, to the silver haired boy next to him.

Aster smiled. He then looked down at his sleeve, and played with his cuff links. He looked as though he were contemplating something.

He then asked in a feigned bored tone, "Feel any better today?"

"A little." Chazz uncomfortably answered.

"Are you still mad at me?" Aster asked abruptly, and looked up, allowing his bright blue eyes to meet with the dark onyx ones.

Chazz was going to say yes, but instead shook his head. "No."

"Good." Aster victoriously smirked.

Aster stretched his arms out over the backs of the seats, letting one arm drape across Chazz's shoulders. Chazz found himself drawing closer to Aster.

"So, what're you doing this afternoon?" Aster asked coyly while he leaned in closer to Chazz.

"I'm busy." Chazz snapped.

"Oh, that's a shame," Aster sighed. "Because I was about to invite you to go mainland. You know you won't get an opportunity to go unless you get a pass, and it seems as though you've already used up all of yours. I can buy you favor with Shepherd, since I'm a pro and all." Aster explained while he smirked arrogantly at Chazz.

Chazz had to admit that the offer was tempting. If he went with Aster, he could escape a miserable afternoon locked in his room with the three Stooges.

"Ok," he finally relented, "but no funny stuff."

"Of course not." Aster kissed him softly on the forehead.

Chazz opened his mouth, then shut it. He watched Aster for a moment, enthralled.

Then, he rolled his eyes, not quite sure what game Aster was trying to play with all these kisses.

"Aster, do you love me?" he sarcastically replied to the white suited boy next o him.

"What?" Aster asked, taken aback by Chazz's straightforwardness.  
"I said do you love me?" Chazz asked while he held his breath, and his heart pounding for some unknown reason. Chazz then mentally slapped himself, wishing he hadn't said that.

Aster smiled a little at Chazz. "Maybe just a bit." Aster thought aloud. His eyes then went wide as soon as he realized what it was he just said.

Chazz caught his breath, hoping with all his heart Aster meant what he was saying, and that it wasn't a cruel joke. He stared into Aster's eyes for a moment. Aster had suddenly grown quiet. He seemed a bit nervous by this comment.

Maybe just this once," he thought, then mentally admonishing himself, "No, I can't! But, I'm hurting so bad…I want someone to love me…"

Chazz looked both ways. Seeing no one around, he leaned towards the other boy. Aster blushed as Chazz's lips gently brushed his. Chazz massaged Aster's lips with his own for a moment, savoring the kiss. It sure tasted good. Wondering if kissing a girl were this lovely, he pressed a little closer.

Aster's hands slipped into the youngest Princeton's raven spikes. He held onto to Chazz with all his might, letting Chazz kiss him deeper. After a moment, Aster touched his tongue to Chazz's lips, again asking permission. This time, Chazz eagerly obliged.

Aster slid his tongue in deep, and pressed his open mouth closer until it had melted into Chazz's. Letting his tongue slide over Aster's, Chazz thought about how delicious this felt. This was just what he needed, especially after being kept up all night by Hasslebury's snoring and Jaden's constant demands for a duel.

At that moment, Aster slid his hand down from Chazz's hair to his waist. Before he could go any farther, Chazz jerked away.

"Pervert!" Chazz growled

Aster smiled, his blue eyes glinting. "Nah, I just really like you. I wouldn't do this with any one else. Though, I do agree it's moving to fast. But can we really help it?"

Chazz panted a moment, red in the face and flustered. He didn't want to feel like this. He didn't like it! He didn't want to keep going! In fact, he despised it! It was disgraceful.

Aster leaned over and touched his lips to Chazz's again. Despite himself, Chazz melted into Aster's arms and kissed him back. They were just beginning to French kiss again when they heard footsteps. Quickly, they pulled away and say at their separate desks.

Alexis stepped into the classroom oblivious to the two boys' actions. She set her things down and smiled at them, ignoring their red faces.

"How's it going, guys?" She smiled at them wider.

Chazz's face turned even redder. "G-g-good."

She looked a bit puzzled. "Chazz, is something wrong?"

Chazz felt incapable of putting together a coherent sentence. Quickly, he composed himself.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Oh. Did you not sleep last night?"

"No," he grumbled irritably, "Jaden and his gang of noise-makers kept me up all night long. They wouldn't shut up! And can you believe that earplugs had no effect?"

"Really?" She looked skeptical of this statement, "Chazz, I'm sure that Jaden isn't that loud. How bad could it be?"

"Why don't you try living with him for a few days. Then we'll see what you say," he grumbled.

Alexis laughed softly. "Oh, Chazz, you're so funny." She left the room, leaving him to wonder what she had meant.

"Did she just insult me?" he asked Aster, scowling.

Aster chuckled softly. "I believe so."

Chazz moaned and rolled his eyes. "Why must she mock everything I say?"

"You don't have to get so worked up." Aster said, bored, "I mean, come on, it's no big deal."

"Yeah, I guess." Chazz still scowled, "I'm just tired of people getting on my case."

"No one's on your case." Aster pointed out, "You just like to think that the world is after you."

"I don't like it!" he snapped, "Yeesh, Aster."

"Whoa, chill." Aster held up his hands in mock surrender, "There's no need to get so worked up over it. I already told you."

Chazz sighed heavily. "Whatever, Aster, whatever.

---------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, Chazz went to the dock to leave the island. He turned and gave a mocking salute to the school, then snickered.

"So long for now!" He laughed to himself, thinking about how he was going to escape that sad excuse for a dorm and those even sadder excuses for duelists.

Stepping up on the railing of the yacht, he scanned the deck for Aster.

"Hey, Chazz," Aster called.

Chazz jumped, and almost fell, but managed to catch onto the railing again. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry. You're the one who's jumpy."

Chazz growled something to him that sounded like an insult. Aster arched an eyebrow, then chose to ignore it, and gestured for Chazz to join him.

Struggling to get up the slippery side, Chazz snapped, "Will ya at least lend me a hand?"

Aster smirked at him, "Nah, I don't think I want to."

Chazz gave him dagger eyes. Aster laughed at the pathetic look.

"Ok, Chazz, Ok," Aster reached over and seized his wrists, pulling him onboard.

Wincing visibly, Chazz tried desperately to hide his scars. Unfortunately, his sleeves fell back a bit, revealing them.

"What the hell--" Aster began, then cut himself off and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "You've got to be kidding me."

Chazz blushed profusely. "It's not what it looks like!" He protested, looking angry.

Aster smirked at him, his blue eyes glinting. "I'll let it go for now, but now that I know your little secret…"

"What?!" Chazz demanded, "What?!! You'd better not tell anyone!"

Aster shook his head. "I won't. Listen, Chazz, I understand." He placed a hand on Chazz's shoulder and looked sympathetic. "I know you must be going through some rough times. Look, if you ever need to talk, I'm here, Ok?"

Chazz shook his head furiously. "I'm fine, Ok?" He jerked his arm away, feeling concerned that Aster might tell the counselor.

"Chazz, don't distrust me so," Aster assured him, "You can trust me. You can confide in me. I won't tell anyone anything. After all, you and I are quite alike, in more ways than you know."

Chazz looked bewildered. "What do you--"

Aster shook his head again. "With time, you'll see. Let's just go, Chazz."

Right before he started the yacht, he leaned over and touched his lips to Chazz's. Despite their morning display of affection, Chazz felt as though he could not do this. Not again, anyway. Jerking away, he glared at Aster.

"Don't do that again! I'm only going to mainland with you. It's not a date. So don't get any stupid ideas in your head that we're together or anything. Because we most certainly are not."

Aster looked a bit taken aback. "I meant nothing by it."

Seeing the hurt beneath the surface, Chazz felt guilty. "Well, fine. I'll trust you…for now. I know you're a classy guy, just as myself; therefore, you wouldn't try to make me uncomfortable. Right?" He raised an eyebrow in what he hoped was a threatening manner.

"Of course." Aster replied and turned back around.

Chazz heaved a heavy sigh. This was not going to be as easy as he thought. For one thing, it was obvious Aster was desperate to be with him, despite his cool demeanor. And for another thing, Aster was so vague and aloof that Chazz could hardly begin to understand him. Perhaps one day he could get his point across. That day, though, would certainly not come for a very long time.

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**A/N: Crappy ending. Ugh. Aster is so hard to portray. Anyway, please review.**

**Next time: (note to self) Aster and Chazz go to the mall…(um, guys shopping?)…Aster becomes more desperate to be with Chazz, and Chazz becomes more desperate to stay away.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know I haven't worked on this for awhile. I'm sorry. School has been in my way and I've been so damn tired. Anyway, here's the third chappie.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX**

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Chapter 3:

Chazz groaned audibly as he and Aster stepped into the mall. Aster ignored his obvious annoyance and discomfort and headed for the directory.

"Why the mall?" Chazz asked, shaking his head. "We're _guys_. We _hate_ shopping, right?"

Aster refused to respond, only kept looking through the list of stores.

"You're such a girl," Chazz continued, whining. "Who goes to the mall anyway? What, are you looking for a jewelry store? A beauty salon? Somewhere to get your nails done?"

Aster continued to scan the stores as he replied. "You know, I thought the same thing of you the way you whine and complain."

Chazz's expressed morphed into one of shock, then, it melted slowly into a deep scowl. "Take that back, Asshole."

Aster failed to respond, just began to walk away.

"Wait, where are we going?!" Chazz quickly followed him. "Answer me, Asshole!"

"Not if you call me that." Aster told him, his sapphire eyes directed straight ahead.

Chazz stuck his tongue out at Aster's back. "Fine!"

Aster turned part way and threw Chazz a coy look from over his shoulder, his blue eyes slitted as he smirked. "I know what you just did."

Chazz scowled deeper. "What the--how do you--did Sartorius give you eyes in the back of your head?"

Aster shrugged as he stepped inside Dillard's.

"Who the HELL shops here?" Chazz snapped, "I mean, can't we go someplace cool if we're in the frickin mall? Like, I don't know, Spencer's? Hot Topic? Even frickin American Eagle, for Pete's sake. But a department store?! You sure are weird, Phoenix."

"And you," Aster informed him coolly, "Need new clothes. Something that says 'hey, I'm a classy guy.' You need to look sophisticated and rich, just as you are. Why fool everyone into thinking you're a slob?"

"Because I am!" He snapped in response, "And I'm proud of my imperfections! Know why? Because that's what makes me The Chazz!" He jutted a finger at himself, his nose in the air.

"Yeah, well, everyone's staring at 'The Chazz'." Aster told him, gesturing towards the occupants of the store. "That was a little loud."

"Um, oh, right." Chazz coughed. "I meant to do that."

"Sure." Aster rolled his eyes and walked towards the men's department.

"So, what exactly can you buy here?" Chazz asked, looking completely bored.

"You mean you've never been here before?" Aster did not look impressed.

"Not really." Chazz muttered, jamming his hands in his pockets, "My servants always bought my stuff for me. Or I went to Hot Topic or someplace else. But mostly I shop designer stores. Anywhere but here, really." He shuddered.

"You're not serious are you?" Aster asked, looking a bit shocked.

"Of course I am. Who buys their clothes here? Old people?" He laughed.

Aster looked a bit ticked. "I buy some of my clothes here."

"Oh…" Chazz fell silent.

"Whatever." Aster picked a black suit off a rack. "You'd look good in a suit."

"Uh, no. The Chazz does not do suits."

"Can't you just try it?" Aster asked, "You never know until you try."

"No. No way. There ain't no way in hell." Chazz snapped, crossing his arms.

"Come on, Chazz. Please?"

He looked at those blue eyes and couldn't help himself. "Oh, all right." He wanted to impress Aster anyway.

"I knew you'd see it my way." Aster smirked.

Chazz snatched the suit and went into the dressing room, all the while grumbling. Slamming the door of a room shut, he angrily stripped himself of his clothing and began to put the suffocating article on. Before he'd finished, Aster knocked on the door.

"What?!"

"Don't forget this." Aster tossed a tie over the door.

Chazz seethed inwardly. "Thank you, Aster." He said through his teeth as he took the accursed thing.

"You're welcome." Chazz could've killed him. He could hear the smirk in Aster's voice.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Chazz snapped.

"Of course." Aster didn't even try to deny it, which infuriated Chazz all the more.

"Asshole." He grumbled as he fixed the necktie tightly around his pale neck. He gave the collar of his dress shirt one last tug, then huffed indignantly and stepped out. "I suppose you want to see it."

"Of course." Aster smirked, looking a bit lustful. "It looks good."

"I hate it." Chazz growled.

"I know. That's what makes it all the sexier."

"You just HAD to use the 's' word, didn't you?"

"The situation called for it." Aster told him, now grinning impishly.

"You're such a sex kitten." Chazz muttered under his breath. "I know you want to take it off."

"Excuse me, Princeton, what was that?"

"Nothing." Chazz coughed, "Absolutely nothing."

Aster raised an eyebrow suspiciously, then shrugged it off. Grabbing a black dress shirt and a pair of jeans, he stepped into the room with Chazz. "Let me dress you."

"No way!" Chazz yelped. "I can't let you do that!"

"Yes, you can. Just let me. It won't hurt anything."

"I can't believe you." Chazz growled menacingly, "I can't trust you. You will too hurt me. I can see it in your eyes. Why the hell do you want to dress me, anyway?"

"I want to play with my little doll." Aster teased, undoing Chazz's tie and grabbing the ends, pulling him closer.

"I'm not your boy toy!" Chazz snapped, "Leave me alone!"

"Aw, but, Chazz," Aster pleaded softly, "It'll be fun."  
"Fine!" Chazz snapped, blushing, "Anything to get you off my back, yeesh!"

"No, I think you want to." Aster whispered in his ear, drawing him closer.

Chazz blushed deeper. "Don't do that…"

"I can't help it." Aster murmured. "I love you."

"Don't say that!" Chazz squeezed his eyes shut, his heart thumping painfully against his ribs. No, he didn't want to feel this way! Tears stung his eyes. "You're just using me!"  
"No, I'm not! I mean it, Chazz. I care about you. Just let me take care of you. Ok?"

Chazz bit his lip nervously, his eyes still tightly shut. "Um…"

Aster's voice grew softer. "Come on, I'll take care of you, I promise."

"I'm not the girl." Chazz growled, trying to sound threatening. "I can care for myself, thank you. And I won't let you dominate me."

Seeing his icy glare, Aster carefully constructed his next sentence. "Listen, Chazz, just let me do this to prove that you can trust me, Ok?"

"No, because it could be a test. First, it'll be this. Then, it'll be something else. And once I'm good and complacent, you'll strike. I cannot, and for that reason will not, trust you. Oh, and if anyone is going to be taking care of anyone, it will be me of you!"

Aster looked a bit disappointed. "Chazz…"

Seeing the sad look on his face, Chazz sighed heavily, his heart melting. "All right! If it'll get you off my back, yeesh!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" He snapped, "Now do it before I change my mind!"

Aster smirked a bit. "I knew you'd see it my way."

Chazz growled a bit as Aster unbuttoned his jacket and threw it aside. Then, he began unbuttoning his white dress shirt. Chazz stiffened as another article of clothing was removed. Smiling coyly, Aster ran a finger over the edge of Chazz's pants, then unzipped them. Chazz felt a blush creeping to his cheeks as his pants dropped, leaving him standing in his underwear.

Aster looked Chazz up and down before redressing him. After several moments of ogling, Chazz made a noise of protest. Reluctantly, Aster slipped the jeans up onto Chazz's tiny hips. Chazz glared at him warningly as he zipped them up. Still smirking, Aster draped the dress shirt over Chazz's unwilling, hunched shoulders and buttoned it up slowly, letting his fingers "accidentally" brush his skin.

"Watch it, Phoenix." Chazz snarled.

"Feisty, aren't we?" Aster teased gently as he buttoned the last one. "There. Now doesn't that look nice?"

"I hate it."

"Oh, well, I think it makes you look very sophisticated. Kind of urban--"

"You sound like my mom."

Aster sent him a frigid glare. "I'm just trying to help improve your appearance. I mean, your looks are fine, but your dress is atrocious!"

"So, what's wrong with how I dress? Too manly for ya, Phoenix?" Chazz glared at him.

"No, it's just so...nevermind. It's incapable of description."  
Chazz glared at him. "Can I change now?"  
Aster looked ticked. "Why? You look good."

"What, do you want me to walk out of the store like this?"

"Maybe. Come on, I'll even _pay_ for it, just wear it out."

"No way." Chazz told him, "And don't even think about trying to change me. If you don't accept me for who I am--flaws and all--then I'm done with you! Chazz Princeton changes for no one!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh, I got it." Aster grumbled, stepping out of the dressing room. "Just do whatever you want."

Chazz smirked as the door shut. "Ha! Take that, Phoenix! The Chazz reigns victorious once more."

After he redressed himself in his black trench coat, he stepped out and flashed Aster a most wicked smirk.

"Don't go there." Aster told him, narrowing his eyes, "Let's just go."

"Fine by me." Chazz shrugged. "Now, we go where I want to go."

"Oh, boy," Aster groaned, "Here we go."

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" Chazz growled, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Just go on."

Chazz sent him a suspicious look, however, he held his tongue. Aster groaned again when he saw where Chazz was leading him--Hot Topic.

"Not that place!"  
"Yes!" Chazz hissed, looking devious, "I'm gonna have some fun with you!"  
"But…"

"You can't say anything. You did so with me!"

"Fine." Despite his words, Aster seemed less than pleased.

Gleefully, Chazz dragged him inside and started pulling things off shelves. Aster scowled as Chazz took down a tight black T-shirt, leather pants, a studded belt, and a black trench coat. "Put these on." He commanded.

Reluctantly, Aster took them between a finger and a thumb, a disdainful expression on his face.

"Go, put them on!"

"Fine." Aster grumbled as he entered the dressing room.

He took so long, Chazz wondered if he'd found a way to escape. Finally, growing impatient, he burst through the curtain.

"Phoenix, what the hell--"

"Chazz!" Aster glared at him, annoyed. He was sitting down and talking on his cell phone.

"Aster!" Chazz snapped, snatching his phone and closing it.

"Hey, I was using that!"

"I don't care! Now you're not! Listen to me, put it on!"

Aster glowered at Chazz. "But, it's so…."

"I don't care. You forced your look on me. Now I prefer to get my clothes from designers, but this is the only place in the mall that has anything similar to what I like. The Chazz is not a conformist, not a slave to any style! I have my own style; I am a maverick!"

Aster looked at him dully as he said sarcastically. "What a moving speech. It totally had a lot to do with our situation."

In response, Chazz pulled Aster's coat, tie, and shirt off.

"Hey, what do you think--"

"Silence!" Chazz pulled the T-shirt over the struggling boy's head in delight.

"I don't wanna--"

"I didn't either. How does it feel?!" Chazz pulled Aster's pants down and forced him into the leather ones. Smirking, he buckled the belt around Aster's waist and slipped the coat around his shoulders. "You're hot now!"

Aster looked in the mirror, dismayed. "It's not me."

"I know, but it's hot. Just hold it a minute. Lemme get a picture…"

"No! Absolutely not!" Aster shook his head.

"Aw, come on…where's your sense of humor?"

Aster glared at him from slitted sapphire eyes.

"Ok, Ok, I get it. Go ahead and change. I've had my fun." Chazz relented and stepped out, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

When Aster came out, he quickly threw the clothes back on the shelves and dragged Chazz out. "You hungry?"

"Not really."

"Yes, you are." Aster decided, "You're skin and bones."

"Oh, Ok." Chazz finally sighed.

"Let's get something in the food court then."

Chazz shrugged and followed Aster. As they made their way into the line for Subway, Chazz happened to notice a familiar looking blond with who appeared to be Jaden. Squinting, he recognized the girl was Alexis. She was sitting with Jaden, and they were laughing over something, obviously ridiculous. Peering closer, he gasped in horror, seeing that they were playing with toys from Burger King.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"What?" Aster looked over and stared. "Is that Alexis Rhodes? With Jaden Yuki?"

"It appears to be so." Chazz muttered, sweatdropping. "They're playing with…children's toys."

Aster shifted uncomfortably. "Why?"

"Probably Jaden's idea…"

"Yeah…um…this is awkward."

"Tell me about it!" Chazz laughed uneasily, "I hope she doesn't see me."

At that moment, she looked up, then blushed, seeing Aster and Chazz staring at her. Quickly, she hid the toy and looked the other way.

Chazz shook his head and turned back around to see Aster holding a sub out to him. "What the--"

"Try it, it's good."

Chazz sighed. "Ok. I see you're not gonna leave me alone about it."

"You're too skinny." Aster laughed, leading him purposely over to the table next to Jaden and Alexis. "You need to eat more."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Chazz hissed, blushing, "We can't let Jaden and Alexis know about..."

"About what?" Aster asked smugly, "There's nothing to hide. It's not like we're on a date."

Chazz opened his mouth then closed it, finding himself trapped.

Aster turned to Jaden and Alexis. "Hi, guys, what's up?"

Alexis turned very red. "Nothing…"

"Nothing much." Jaden echoed, smiling.

Chazz raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

Alexis scowled. "Don't we have every right to be here, just as you do?"

"Are you…"

"Am I what?" Alexis asked, giving him the death stare.

"Nevermind." Chazz closed his mouth, though he wished to ask desperately if she and Jaden were on a date.

It was then that Alexis turned it around on him, quite unexpectedly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Chazz could've died. "I wanted to get away from Duel Academy, that's all."

"You…with Aster?" Alexis raised an eyebrow. "What an unlikely couple!"  
Even though she meant something else, Chazz still felt his cheeks burning. "No, no, no! You don't understand," He protested wildly, "You see, I used up all my passes, so Aster got me in good with Chancellor Shepherd and--"

Seeing the way he was reacting, Alexis' eyes widened. "Are you on a date?!"

"NO! NO! NO!" Chazz shook his head, panicking. "It's not what you think!"

"You know, Chazz," Alexis told him, looking ticked, "You don't have to lie to me. I'll still be your friend even if you are gay. And if you aren't, you know Mindy would've been more than happy to take you."

Chazz drooped. "Alexis…nevermind. I'll tell you later, Ok?"

"Ok…"

"Now that that's out of the way, I think you owe me an answer. What are you and Jaden doing here? Are you two on a date?" He asked nosily.

Alexis blushed. "Well, kind of."

"What's a date?" Jaden asked stupidly.

Everyone stared at him. He only sat there, blinking, clueless.

"Um, Jaden, you were the one who asked me to the mall." Alexis told him, "You should know."

"Oh," Jaden blushed, "That wasn't a date, whatever that is. I just wanted to spend time with the girl I liked."

"That's called a date." Alexis muttered, sweatdropping. "Besides, didn't you know what a date was back when I was in the Society? You thought we were going on a date…"

Jaden looked thoughtful. "Oh, yeah…that's right. I'm sorry, I forgot." He laughed good-naturedly, "Now I remember what a date is! So, that was a date back then, right?"

"No…"

"Oh…but…"

"Just forget it, Jaden."

Chazz rolled his eyes. "Another score for slacker. I didn't think he could get any dumber. Apparently, I was mistaken."

"Hey, it's not my fault I forgot!" Jaden protested, "But I remember now. Hasn't that ever happened to you?"

"Uh…no." Chazz muttered, looking dully at the slifer, "It hasn't happened to any normal person, only those with head injuries. Did you mom drop you on the head?"

"Not that I know of." Jaden answered. "Why are you being so mean?"

"Ooo, perceptive, aren't we?"

"Um…yes!"

"You don't even know what that means."

"Um, no, but when I find out, I'll let you know." He laughed.

"Just…let it go, Chazz." Alexis told him, blushing again, "And mind your own business."

Chazz scowled and turned away as they got up to leave.

"See ya around, Chazz, Aster." Jaden told them, smiling.

"Bye." Alexis grumbled, seizing Jaden by the wrist and dragging him off.

"Well, it seems as though this has become a date." Aster remarked, smiling a bit as he took a sip of his drink.

Chazz blushed again. "Um…I guess. I didn't mean for it to…"

"I enjoy spending time with you, Chazz." Aster told him, "Maybe we could do this again sometime?"

"Yeah, that'd be fun."

"After all, being a pro, I can leave whenever I want." Aster smirked at him, "And if you're with me, you'll get that same privilege."

"Really?"

"Yep. That's one of the perks to being pro. Now, come on. Let's just go back now. I'm tired."

"Ok." Chazz agreed, standing.

They headed for the door. Just as they stepped out into the windy afternoon, Chazz felt Aster's hand brush his own. Smiling despite himself, he grabbed Aster's hand. The two held hands the entire way back, unable to prevent how their feelings were deepening for each other. However, Chazz was not quite yet ready to accept Aster as his lover.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so that was a sucky ending. Ah, well, endings are hard.**

**Next time: (so I won't forget XD ) Chazz's reluctance to accept Aster or admit that they have more in common than he realizes prompts Aster to go to Sartorius. He and Sartorius get a little closer than he'd like, and Sartorius shows Chazz how Aster's childhood was just as messed up as his.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Perhaps this time it will be less humorous and more angsty. For one thing, I'm more in the angsty mood. For another thing, I'm listening to angsty emo. But I'm not sure it will go as originally planned…I dunno. And if it seems there's Chazz and Alexis in here, it's not the way it seems. It's not romantic. It's hurt/comfort type relationship. Just friends. Nothing more. Oh well, whatever, I'll just shut up now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX. **

* * *

Chapter 4:

Chazz sighed heavily as he trudged down the path. He felt as though his life couldn't be any more complicated or messed up. For one thing, he found himself falling deeper and deeper into depression. For another thing, his family and classmates were making his life hard for him by pressuring him. And finally, perhaps worst of all, he was falling for another boy. Groaning to himself, he flopped under a tree and stared at the ground.

"My arms still hurt," He muttered softly, rubbing his cuts, "I wish I hadn't sliced so deeply…"

Sighing again, his eyes lifted from the ground back to the path. He blinked in disbelief as he saw Alexis walking towards him. What could she possibly want? Even stranger, she stepped over into the grass and sat next to him.

"Hi."

He glanced over at her, uncertain of how to respond. He was happy that she cared; nevertheless, he put his guard up. "Hey, Lex. What's up?"

She leaned back against the tree. "Not much. I just thought you might want to talk."

"About what?" He asked, frowning and looking away. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Sure there is." She told him, "And you look like you need to talk. You look like you have something weighing you down. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, I think you should get it off your chest."

He was silent for a moment, just kept staring at the ground. Then, he ran his fingers through his ebony hair and muttered, "I don't know, Lex. I don't know if you want to hear it. I don't know if you can handle it. Or if you even care enough."

"I do." She assured him, patting his shoulder. "Just tell me what's wrong. I'll listen. I care."

Seeing her smiling encouragingly at him, he couldn't hold back any longer. "Ok, Ok," He caved, holding his face in his hands, "My life is hell. I don't know how to tell you, really, but all this has been going on practically from the moment I was born. You already know about my brothers. That's no surprise. And my parents are still on my case to work hard…they're not abusive though, just really oppressive. And it just sucks that I have to work really hard not only for my family, but also so I won't look like a slacker to the rest of the student body. It's just so much pressure, you can't imagine. I have so many people to live up to…and not enough skill. I know I talk a game, but I can't…I can't deliver it. I've just been so, so, self-conscious. I don't even know why. And I'm beginning to realize that life's not gonna change. And, hell, I'm not getting married either. That's obvious. I mean, I don't wanna be alone…but I don't wanna….I don't wanna…I don't know if I should tell you this…"

She blinked, staring at him. "I'm already stunned at what you've told me so far...but don't stop. Go on."

He looked her in her eyes, and shook his head. "I can't tell you. You'd hate me."

"No, I won't." She assured him, pulling his head down in her lap and stroking his raven spikes. "Go ahead. Tell me."

"All right…" He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, "I think…I think I'm falling in love again."

Silence answered him. Finally, she spoke again. "That's not bad. I'm not upset. In fact, I'm glad for you! Who is it?"

He clenched his teeth, feeling sick and hopeless. "Dammit, Lex, I don't want to be this! I tried so hard not to feel this way…I never wanted to feel this way! The thing is…I-I…I'm falling in love with…" He paused, took another deep breath to calm his sick stomach and dropped his voice to a hoarse whisper, "…another boy."

A long silence followed. He bit his tongue, wishing he hadn't said anything. However, she continued to stroke his hair.

Finally, she asked softly, "Is it Aster?"

"How'd you--"

"I saw how you were looking at him at the mall. I saw how you've been acting around him lately. And the way you talk about him…in the way you used to talk about me." Her voice dropped lower and softer as she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He told her, trying to hold back his tears. "If I hurt you…I'm really sorry…"  
"Chazz, it's Ok." She told him, stroking his face, "Listen to me, it's Ok if you're gay. I'm happy for you, I really am. Besides, I'm not hurt. I like you only as a friend. Nothing more. You know that."

"Well, I wasn't sure. From the way you were acting about that…"

"I'm not hurt." She said again, "I'm just shocked, that's all. But if you realize you like boys, that's ok. It's ok."

He opened his eyes and looked up into her sympathetic amber ones. "Thanks, Lex. But I don't think I'm exactly gay. I'm not attracted to boys…just Aster. I don't know what that is. I don't think random guys are hot…just Aster. But then again, I didn't think random girls were hot either. Just you. But I'm over that. Seriously, I'm so confused…what am I?"

She wrapped him in a comforting embrace. "You're you." She told him, "And there's nothing wrong with you. You're just finding your place in this life. It's all right."

"But I'm not straight…I'm not gay…I'm not bi…"

"You're not the type to love everyone," She pointed out, "So I don't think you really have a sexual preference. You will like whomever you do. It's about personality, not gender."

He sighed in relief. "Thanks, Lex. That makes me feel a lot better."

She smiled. "No problem. I hope you can be happy together. You need someone to love you just as much as you love."

"When I do love someone at all," He muttered, "And I know I'm too high maintenance for most people to handle."

"It's fine. Aster can handle it."

"If you say so." He reclined and stared up at the leaves.

Neither of them said anything more, only sat there in silence as they listened to the wind.

----------------------------------------------------

Aster looked both ways as he made his way down the hall. Seeing no one around, he sighed in relief and tapped on the wood door. After a moment, it opened.

"Come in."

Wordlessly, he stepped inside and shut the door.

Sartorius looked up at him. "Ah, Aster. It's been too long."

"Sartorius, I need to talk to you about something." He seated himself comfortably in a chair and gazed at the psychic. "It's important, and sort of embarrassing, so don't say anything until I'm finished explaining, Ok?"

Sartorius sat back and nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. Go ahead and tell me."

"It's this boy…Chazz Princeton. You remember him. Well, I like him a lot, but he doesn't want to accept me. I try to show him that I won't hurt him, but he's loath to open up to me and let me in. He's denying his feelings and he's really hurting. I can see the pain in his eyes. More than anything, I want to comfort him and tell him how I feel without him blowing me off, but I don't know how if he won't let me. I just want to show him that I really care. I just want him to be happy. How can I make him understand that I know exactly what he's feeling? That we have more in common than he realizes?" Aster's sapphire eyes searched Sartorius' amethyst ones. "What can I do?"

Sartorius seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, he sighed. "There's not much you can do if he's denying his feelings. However, I could help you, if you'd like. I can show him that you aren't fooling around. I can show him what betrayal you've been through…if you'd allow it, that is."

Aster nodded, looking down. "It's just, I've said all these things to him, and he acts like I'm joking or something. He acts like what I say has no meaning. He thinks I'm just after him for lust. But I'm not. I care about him. I want to be with him forever! Is that so wrong?"

Sartorius' brow furrowed in concern. "Aster, perhaps you're getting too caught up in this. Perhaps you should wait and try to hold these feelings off. I don't want you to get hurt." He reached out and touched Aster's cheek, gazing into his eyes, and murmured, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"That's exactly it!" Aster exclaimed, "He's hurting me! I'm in just as much pain as he is, but I don't know how to tell him. It always comes out wrong. Everything I say to him sounds like I'm a sex kitten or something. And I don't mean it. I don't know what's wrong with me. And then he gets indignant and cynical, and I can't stop it. It just snowballs and gets out of control. I can't help myself…I try and try not to sound like that, I really do, but the more I try, the worse it gets."

"Poor boy," Sartorius murmured, continuing to stroke his cheek lovingly, "You should just tell him. You need to have a talk with him."

"But I'll just mess up again…" Aster protested, looking down, "I can't do it anymore, Sartorius; that boy is tearing me to pieces."

"I can tell." Sartorius told him soothingly, cupping Aster's young face in his hands, "But all will be well. If it was meant to be, things will work out. If not, then you will move on. And I shall forever be with you."

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do." Sartorius affirmed.

"Thanks."

In response, Sartorius smiled and leaned down. Aster closed his eyes, uncertain of what his manager was doing. Before he could protest, he felt Sartorius' lips on his own. It only lasted for a second, but that was all the time that was needed for Aster to make the mistake. His own lips pressed back, holding the psychic's lips in a mutual kiss.

When Sartorius pulled back to look into sapphire eyes, Aster fell back and realized what he'd done.

"I'm sorry," He muttered, standing up quickly, "I should go now."

"I didn't mean…" Sartorius attempted.

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have come. I'll see you later, Ok? I'm not mad; I just have some introspective searching to do…" With that being said, Aster slipped out of the door into the hall.

He hurried to his yacht, then slammed the door to his quarters. Trembling, he leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Tears dribbled from between his fingers and he shook violently.

"Why are you doing this to me?" He muttered, his voice wavering, "Why do I have to feel like this? I should be fine…I should be normal…why am I freaking out so much? Why does it hurt so much?"

He clutched his sleeves, holding his knees to his chest and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I must be losing it. Why am I losing it? I'm usually so calm…so collected…nothing fazes me! So why now do I…suddenly fall to pieces? How can anyone have such an effect on me? If only someone had the answers…hell, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm drowning…I'm drowning in these hideous emotions…I hate this."

Rising to his feet, he crossed his arms over his chest self-consciously. "You make me so weak. You make me so sick. I'm not myself around you or when I think about you. You make me behave so atypically. It's ridiculous. I need a drink to chill out. Just one…"

Still nerve wracked, he pulled a wine bottle out of his refrigerator. "Just one drink," He muttered, pouring himself a glass of wine, "That's all. Nothing more."  
Quickly, he downed the glass, which was not something he'd do normally. Immediately, he felt the urge to drink another.

"No," He told himself, "I'm just depressed, I'll sleep it off. Just so long as I don't drink another…I can't…I won't."

Reluctantly, he placed the bottle back in the refrigerator and sank to his bed. Gradually, he became aware of the boat rocking gently with the ebbing tide. Feeling much calmer, he lay on his bed as his eyelids drooped.

"Things aren't going to be as simple and easy as I'd imagined," He yawned to himself, "Nothing has ever been such a challenge before. But I'll conquer it, just like I conquer everything else. Question is, will he pull through?"

* * *

**A/N: That was an abrupt ending. And I use far too much aposiopesis and paraposiopesis. I'm sorry. Not to mention it wasn't quite according to plan. Oh well. I felt better about that chapter, even if they were OOC. But I suppose I have a reason for them to be. Please tell me it made sense.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm having sooo much trouble with this fic. I'm not even kidding. I'm not sure I want to make it too much longer. I'm out of ideas and I have a lot of work on my hands. Nevertheless, I shall do my best. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX.**

* * *

**  
**Chapter 5:

Aster hurried down the path, hoping he wouldn't run into Chazz. If he were going to let Chazz know how he felt, he couldn't say it to his face. He never was able to properly convey his thoughts when he did. Clutching the note in his hand tighter, he burst through the front door of Duel Academy.

Slowing down, he made his way down the hall to the darkened classroom. Unnoticed, he slipped in. As his eyes adjusted to the blackness, he spotted Chazz's desk. Creeping over, he taped the note to the desk top.

"I sure hope this works." He muttered, turning to run.

"Aster? What are you doing in here?"

He froze and turned, to see Alexis walking in. "What--"

"Shush, Aster. I know why you're here."

"And why are you here?"

Alexis frowned. "I have my reasons. And that's not important now anyway. What is important is that you understand that Chazz is just as torn up over this as you. He's very sensitive. So don't hurt him."

Aster narrowed his eyes. "So you automatically assume I'm going to hurt him? I had no such intention. In fact, I was going to ask him out."

"With a note?" She scoffed, "How mature. Very suave."

Aster bristled. "Look, Alexis, I can never tell him the right way in person. It comes out all wrong."

"Coward."

"What?!" Aster glared at her, "I am not!"

"Then you'd talk to him whether you could express your thoughts correctly or not. It doesn't matter. He'd understand."

"Apparently he doesn't. And why are you sticking your nose in my business? It has nothing to do with you. So back off."

"I don't need--" She began, then pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look, I'm just trying to help Chazz. I don't want him to get hurt."

"Since when did you care about how he felt?"

"I always have. He is my friend, after all. I'm sorry I was so mean to him." She fell silent for a moment, thinking.

"Then why don't you give me a chance to show him how I feel? Stop jumping to conclusions."

Her amber eyes widened. "Me, jumping to conclusions?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. Look, Alexis, it's not that I'm mad at you, just stop trying to protect him. After all, you're the one who put him in this position in the first place. If you didn't want this, then you shouldn't have treated him so badly. You should've gone out with him. What, are you trying to keep me from him because you're jealous?"

"No, no, no, I just want to make sure that both of you know what you're doing. I mean, most gay relationships don't work out…"

"Alexis," Aster sighed, "It's not about being gay. This is about a person I really, deeply, truly care about. It doesn't matter who that person is. It really doesn't. You can't classify me as being gay because I like Chazz. Personally, I always thought I'd choose a girl such as you. As a whole, or rather, generally speaking, I like girls. However, I never found one I really clicked with. I feel like I click with Chazz. I just feel a bond. And I want to be with him desperately. So please, don't make the mistake of calling me gay when I'm not. I'm not gay; I'm in love."

She opened her mouth then closed it a few times. Finally, regaining her composure: "I'm sorry, Aster, it came out wrong. I guess I was just scared for him. I didn't want him to get hurt. Please forgive me. I never believed you were gay or anything. I mean, just the other day, I told Chazz not to worry about those feelings. I feel like such a two-faced person."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Aster shrugged it off, "I forgive you. No sweat. Do you forgive me for being cold towards you?"

She nodded. "It really wasn't that much."  
"But it wasn't me either," He explained, shaking his head, "I just can't get a grip on myself. I'm just going to ignore your advice and leave the note for him. It's the only way I can let him know. Do you trust me enough to do it?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks." Foolishly, he taped the note to Chazz's desk and began to walk out. "Good night."

"Good night, Aster," She called, standing still.

She waited until he was out of sight, then walked over to the desk. Pulling the note from the top, she folded it up and pocketed it. Chazz would never have to know.

--------------------------------------------------------

Chazz lay on his bed, thinking about Aster. He really wanted to tell him how he felt. However, he was still afraid to reveal his deepest feelings to the silver-haired boy. It was impossible. Surely, Aster would hurt him. After all, he'd been acting rather strangely towards him. He wasn't sure if Aster were trustworthy or not.

Sighing, he rolled over on his side and stared at the wall. "I want him so badly," He whispered to himself, "I feel as though my heart will burst. I need him. How could I have ever lived without him? I've never felt so lovesick in my life!"

Sitting up, he grabbed his cell phone and held it to his chest, hoping perhaps Aster would call him. "This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself, "Be a man, Chazz, dammit, be a MAN! I can do this."

Breathing deeply, he carefully dialed the digits into the phone. He had to tell Aster. It was now or never.

"Hello?"

Hearing the other boy's voice, he felt himself freezing up. "Um…"

"Who is this?"

"Chazz," He croaked, then mentally slapped himself as he thought, "Real smooth, Chazz, REAL smooth."

"Hi, Chazz," Aster's voice grew quieter.

"Um, hi…"

"So…."

"So…"

"What's up?"

"Nothing," Chazz croaked.

Silence.

"Ok, this is ridiculous," Aster blurted. "Why won't you talk to me? Did I make you uncomfortable with that note I gave you?"

"Note? You never gave me a note."

"But I could've sworn…I taped it to your desk. I really did!"

"To my desk?"

"Yeah. Didn't you get it?"

"No. I never saw or heard of this alleged note."

"That's strange," Aster muttered, puzzled. He was silent for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Alexis!"

"Whaddya mean?" Chazz asked, "I'm not Alexis!"

"No, she was in the room when I taped the note to the desk. She knew it was for you. Maybe she took it and tore it up."

"Why would she do that? I don't think that Alexis would do something like that."

"Well, apparently she did. Because I can't think of any other way--"  
"Maybe the teacher did it!" Chazz interrupted, desperately trying to find a way that would keep Alexis from being the culprit. "Or someone else could have done it."

"True," Aster pointed out, "But, she was acting strangely about it. She made a big deal about it and acted angry towards me. She seemed to be sort of…possessive of you."

"Maybe she's jealous," Chazz pondered aloud, "Or maybe she really enjoys my attention and doesn't want me to stop."

"Maybe. I don't know what's wrong. She claims that she doesn't want you to get hurt. I don't buy it though. Why would she hurt you then?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter. You don't need the note since we're on the phone. Why don't you tell me what the note said now? Alexis can't stop you then."

"I…" Aster paused before responding, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't, Ok? It's too hard to say."

"Well, Ok…if you say so."

More silence.

"Um, Aster, I'm not sure how much more of this I want to stand."

"What do you mean?"

"We're going no where. Why can't we just come out and say what we both know we want to? Why is it so hard?"

"I don't know…" Aster paused.

"Ok, that's it." Chazz snapped, "I'm tired of being hurt. I'm tired of going into circles. I'm tired of denying it! Please, just come over to my room."

"But--"

"If you don't come to my room, I'll find you!" Chazz told him, "And you don't want that to happen. Because…I'll be mad if you don't come."  
"All right, all right," Aster griped, "I'm coming. Talk to you in a few minutes."

"Thank you!" Chazz breathed a sigh of relief as he hung up. However, after a few minutes, he began to realize what he had done.

Panicking, he wondered if there was something else he could make up in order to keep his dignity. What had he been thinking? There was no way he could reveal his feelings to Aster. Before he could come up with a proper excuse, though, there was a knock on the door.

"Crap!" Chazz hissed, wringing his hands in anxiety, "Now what do I do?" Swallowing hard, he opened the door and forced a weak smile.

"Hey, Chazz," Aster muttered, brushing past him. "What do you want?"

Chazz's eyes stayed glued to the floor. He was unable to meet the sapphire gaze. "I--I guess I have no choice now."

Aster arched an eyebrow. "Chazz, you seemed so desperate to get whatever it is off your chest. What's wrong now?"

"I'm…scared to tell you," He admitted sourly, a stubborn pout forming on his face.

"You can tell me." Aster suddenly felt very protective of the youngest Princeton. Moving forward, he slipped his arms around the ebony haired boy's thin waist and pulled him close. Then, looking him in the eyes, "What's wrong? Who hurt you?"

Chazz felt a blush creeping to his cheeks. "Um, I…Aster, it's not exactly that. I mean, yeah, I'm afraid to tell you because I've been hurt…"

"By Alexis?" Aster's brow furrowed as he clutched Chazz tighter to him.

Chazz winced and nodded. "But not recently. I just don't want to be…"

"Rejected?" Aster asked quietly.

Chazz nodded.

"Don't worry, Chazz," Aster told him, stroking the older teen's raven spikes out of his pale face. "I could never hurt you. I care too much about you…the truth is…I…love you." He blushed deeply, looking slightly regretful.

Chazz's face turned scarlet. "Aster," He let his arms slip around the silver-haired boy's waist. Slowly, his arms tightened around Aster and the words that he'd kept bottled up so long suddenly flowed off his tongue with ease. "Aster…I…I love you too."  
"Chazz…" Aster buried his face in Chazz's neck, planting deep, open mouthed kisses up and down to his collarbone, releasing all the passion that he'd wanted to shower him from the start.

Despite himself, Chazz squeezed his eyes shut and let Aster kiss him. It felt so good to give in. He vaguely recalled telling Aster that he would not be dominated; however, he felt himself giving into the feeling anyway. If he loved Aster, then he would let him be dominant. Just this once wouldn't hurt.

"Chazz, please understand," Aster mumbled, his face pressed against the other teen's collar, "I tried so hard to tell you how I felt. But it never came out right. I'm really sorry. I never meant to sound perverted or anything. I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just that…every time I was around you, I got weak. I wasn't myself. My brain couldn't function probably because…I loved you and I had to have you. I need you. I really do." As he finished speaking, his fingers dug into the youngest Princeton's sleeves, clinging desperately.

Chazz blinked. "Well, Ok…I understand. I'm sorry I snapped at you and was so resistant."

Aster gave a dry laugh. "That's just you nature. It's Ok. But please don't turn me away. I want you to be mine more than anything in this world. You're the only one who's made me feel so upset, so hurt at the thought of not being with you. You understand, don't you?"  
Chazz nodded, his mouth going dry. "That's the way I used to feel over Alexis…"

"Then you understand exactly how I feel about you." Aster rested his cheek on Chazz's shoulder and gazed up at him.

Chazz felt a sudden sickness in the pit of his stomach. If he hurt Aster even the littlest bit…would it kill him? Would Aster hurt like he had over Alexis? He might hurt Aster…no, he couldn't take that chance. They'd gone too far already. He had to prevent anything that might cause Aster to be hurt.

"Aster, let go."

"Wait, why?"

"I don't want you to get hurt…"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know it's too late, but it's foolish to get involved with me." Chazz sighed, "I might hurt you. I don't know what I'm doing--"

"Chazz, you're being ridiculous. Just snap out of it. It makes no sense why you were telling me you loved me and now…I mean, you were giving in!"

"I-I'm confused…" Chazz's dark eyes darted around with uncertainty.

"It's going to be all right." Aster assured him, "We can get through this together, Ok? Ok?"

Chazz nodded, feeling numb. "I don't feel well."

"What's wrong now?" Aster looked slightly frustrated.

"My stomach hurts…"

Aster's expression morphed into concern. "Here, lie down." Gently, he helped Chazz over to his bed. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. It hurts."

"What hurts? Tell me!"

"My stomach hurts, Ok?" Chazz snapped, not wanting to tell him that his heart was aching.

"Yeesh, Chazz, you don't have to be so nasty about it." Aster sighed and pulled a chair up.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm not leaving." Aster informed him. "I'm going to stay right here and make sure that you don't die or something."

"Well…"

"You can't make me leave." Aster's azure eyes narrowed, gazing icily down at the youngest Princeton.

Chazz relented. "All right. You can stay," He grumbled, rolling on his side.

Aster smirked. "Good."

After a moment, Chazz heard the bed springs creak next to him. His eyes widened. Aster slipped his arms around Chazz's waist.

"I'm here for you, Ok?" He told Chazz tenderly, "I won't let anything happen to you. So go ahead and sleep. I'll take good care of you."

Despite himself, Chazz yawned and felt his eyelids droop. No, it wouldn't be easy, but he would manage. Somehow, he'd find his way and make sure that Aster was happy. There was no way that he was going to lose him or hurt him. He'd think about it later, yes, he'd just sleep for now. His eyes closed and his breathing became deep and even.

Aster smiled as he leaned down, brushing some of the hair out of his love's eyes. A peaceful smile came to the raven haired boy's lips. Aster laughed softly at Chazz's contentment and gave him a gentle kiss. Then, in the safety of Chazz's room pressed close against the other boy's warm body, he fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Whew. That took me forever to finish. So, it sucked anyway. **

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS FIC IS UP FOR DISCONTINUATION OR EVEN DELETION. THE ONLY WAY TO HELP ME SAVE IT IS TO GIVE ME SOME IDEAS IF YOU WOULD PLEASE. The ideas I'm looking for have to be either something really deeply loving or dramatic/angsty/slightly tragic. I don't mean tragic as in irreversible. Maybe like a sickness or something of that sort. Please just give me some ideas and ways in which to execute them. I love this fic and don't want to discontinue it. PLEASE HELP ME : (**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, I took your ideas into consideration. Thank you all for your contributions. I will be continuing this fic for awhile. However, I don't think I will implement any sort of mpreg. That will be in a different fic for a different pairing, but it will be a crackfic. I can't take it seriously…sorry. T.T Anyway, I will be having a LOT of trouble with this fic, but I'll keep going for all my readers' sakes. You're a lucky bunch, I'll tell you that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX.**

* * *

Chapter 6:

Chazz's eyelids fluttered open as the warm morning sunlight fell across his pale face. Yawning, he rolled over and snuggled against Aster, still half asleep. After a moment, it registered that he was in bed with Aster. A blush graced his thin cheeks as he recalled the words he'd confessed to his love the day before. Half of him was relieved that he'd finally said them; half of him was ready to take them back.

Aster stirred slightly in his sleep, then, opened his sapphire eyes. They half shut as he smirked, then sat up. "Morning, Chazz." He wrapped his arm around the other boy's waist, pulling him up, and planted a tender kiss on his lips.

Immediately, Chazz recoiled. "Aster…I'm not your girlfriend, yeesh."

"Aw, come on, Chazz," Aster pleaded, "I don't mean anything by it. Don't be that way."

"Well, sorry," Chazz snapped, "I just…don't feel very well and…" Trailing off, he collapsed back down to the pillows.

"Chazz?" Aster leaned down to inspect him, "Are you all right? What's wrong?"

Chazz moaned and covered his eyes with his hand. "I told you already! I feel horrible. Please leave me alone."

Aster bit his lip. "Can I get you some tea?"

"No," Chazz groaned, "I don't want anything."

"Aw, come on, you must want something."

"No thanks."

"I'm worried. You're scaring me, Chazz. You're really pale right now…"

"What the hell is there to be scared of? You're such a girl, Phoenix," Chazz groaned, "Oh, great…Aster…I need…"

"What? What do you need?"

Before Chazz could answer, there was a knock on the door. Aster sighed in exasperation and went to open it. Much to their surprise, Alexis walked in, brushing past Aster without even greeting him.

"Chazz," She muttered, eyeing Aster with contempt, "What is _he_ doing here?"

"What's wrong with me being here?" Aster asked bitterly, "I just wanted to help Chazz."

She looked down at Chazz and noticed the pained expression on his face. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took his head in her lap, a gesture that Aster didn't like at all. He tensed up, though he managed to remain calm.

"What'd you do to him?" She demanded to know.

"Look, I didn't do anything to him. He just isn't feeling well." He explained, looking peeved.

"Well, in that case, I think you should leave." Her tone gradually grew colder, "And I'll take care of him from here."

"Why are you acting like this?" Aster asked angrily, "What have I done to deserve this? And why did you discard my note?"

"What note?" Alexis asked sweetly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Aster didn't know how to respond to this. After a brief stunned silence, he shook his head. "Just leave, Alexis. He doesn't feel well."

"No, I'm taking care of him!"

"You can't," Aster seethed, "I'm the one who's going to take care of him."

Chazz looked all the more tired as the two began to argue over who would care for him. Unable to speak, he merely crawled beneath the covers and sighed heavily. More than anything, he just wished they'd be quiet and leave him alone. Soon enough, though, all was quiet once more. Confused, he peered over the covers and saw that they had left. He smiled a bit, relieved, and closed his eyes to go to sleep. His relief, however, was short lived.

"Hey, Chazz, I made you some tea," Alexis announced, coming back in the room and shoving the warm liquid under his nose. The smell made him all the more nauseous.

"Don't listen to her," Aster said, walking in, "Tea isn't best for now. Look, I made you some chicken soup!"  
"You idiot!" Alexis snarled, "Soup isn't going to help his stomach! Tea will do the trick!"

"But chicken has been proved to be a natural antibiotic," Aster protested, "The healing powers it has are simply remarkable, to say the least, and--"

"We don't want to hear about it," Alexis growled, "Just be quiet. Here, Chazz, drink it! Feel better!"

"And what exactly do you hope to accomplish by force-feeding him tea?"

"It's not just ANY tea. It's Lady Grey tea."

"Oh, WOW, fancy," Aster rolled his eyes, "What difference does THAT make?"

"I would think that you, of all people, should know that Lady Grey tea has certain citrus--"

"Oh, so now your tea has healing powers because it helps a cold! That doesn't mean that it helps with a stomachache."

"And what of your soup? Not exactly the best for a stomachache either."

Chazz groaned and pulled the covers over his head. Tears stung his eyes as he thought about how he wanted them to shut up.

"You know what? Maybe tea isn't such a good idea," Alexis admitted.

"Well, I'm glad you see it my way," Aster said smugly.

In response, Alexis dumped the tea on Aster's head. Then, she stormed over to the mini-fridge and dug through it until she found a can of Ginger Ale.

"This should do the trick. Here, Chazz, drink this."

Chazz eyed the can skeptically, however, he was desperate. Taking it, he sipped very slowly.

"See? He likes me much better than you," Alexis said proudly. "That just goes to show that there's nothing that can compare to a woman's touch."

"FYI, Alexis, but I was here first. I've been taking care of him since yesterday. So back off," Aster growled, wiping his face with a towel.

Alexis gave a short, dry laugh. "Very funny. But, I think it's time that you took a little rest, don't you?"

Chazz groaned again, and tugged at Alexis' arm. His stomach really hurt then, and he hoped that if he shut them up, then he would feel better. Seeing his even more pained expression, Alexis relinquished the fight and focused on him.

"Chazz, what's wrong? Do you have the flu or something?"

Chazz shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Alexis stroked his hair, muttering about her "poor baby."

"I don't think he really likes being called that," Aster growled, "Just leave him alone."

"Who are you to talk for him?"

"I know because clearly he's uncomfortable."

"There's no indication that--"

"Look at his face!"

"That's because he's in pain, no, DUH."

"Please be quiet," Chazz gasped, shivering, "Please. You're making me be in more pain." He curled into a fetal position and trembled harder.

Aster and Alexis exchanged a worried glance. Chazz gazed up at both of them, looking more pathetic than before.

"That's it," Aster muttered, "It's obvious he's not getting better; he's getting worse. We need to get some help."

"I'll get Ms. Fountaine." Alexis headed for the door.

"No, don't," Aster grabbed her arm and stopped her, "We have to go to Sartorius."

"Why? What can he do?" Alexis crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

"He can help. He knows all sorts of remedies. And I'm sure he can figure out what's wrong with Chazz."

"Fine," Alexis snapped, "Go get him. I'll stay with Chazz."

Aster frowned and opened his mouth to protest, then, seeing Chazz's eyes begging him to have mercy, he relented. He stormed out into the hall and slammed the door shut, leaving Alexis and Chazz alone. The room was quiet, the tension gone.

"Chazz," Alexis whispered, running her hand over his face, "what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Chazz gasped, "I just felt sick because…"

"Because…?"

"I love him."

Silence.

Alexis didn't respond. She only rose to her feet, went into the bathroom, and wet a washcloth. Then, she applied it to his forehead. Chazz didn't know if her silence was an indication that he'd hurt her. He surely hoped not.

She fluffed his pillows for him and propped him up. Not once did she look into his eyes. Rather, she adverted her gaze, seemingly ashamed. Finally, she sat back on the edge of the bed and waited.

He yawned, his eyelids growing heavy again. Unable to help it, he fell into a drowsy state of mind, between consciousness and sleep.

What seemed like a few minutes later, he was slightly awoken by soft murmuring. He opened his eyes slightly, feeling too drained to open them entirely. Sartorius was standing over him, muttering something that he couldn't hear to Aster and Alexis. Then, he placed his hand on Chazz's forehead. Strangely, however, Chazz couldn't feel it. It was as though he were in a different world.

"Wait," He wondered, "What's going on? Why does this freak have his hands on me?"

Slowly, the world came into focus, and he was able to hear what they were saying. Only, it seemed as though he were watching a TV show instead of living through it.

"He's gone into a coma," Sartorius was saying, "I'm not sure how it happened, really. I can make a conjecture, but…that's all I can do. His body is working just fine; there's nothing at all wrong with him. It seems as though it is his mental state that's putting him in this condition. Did anything stressful happen in the last twenty-four hours?"

Aster bit his lip and nodded. However, he was unable to tell Sartorius exactly what had happened. "It wasn't that bad, though. It wasn't enough to do something like this," He murmured.

"Well, ordinarily, no, but…" Sartorius sighed heavily, "He's been put through a lot the past few years of his life. You know that."

Aster nodded slowly and waited for Sartorius to continue.

"If we don't do something about this soon," Sartorius told him, "His heart will fail and he'll die."

"But I thought you said there was nothing wrong with him physically!" Aster yelled, growing angry again.

"There's no need to shout, Aster," Sartorius told him, "Because there isn't anything wrong with him. However, if he focuses on the hurt and the stress as much as he's been doing, his anxiety will kill him. It's up to you to calm him."

"What do you mean?" Aster asked, scowling, "What can I do? I can't do anything, that's what."

"You can do more than you think," Sartorius informed him, "And you can start by calming him down. Let him know that you'll always be there for him. And…don't let his brothers get anywhere close to him."

"What do you mean?"

"They're coming," Sartorius informed him, "and when they do, it's not going to be for a pleasant visit. Aster, he needs you. He needs you to save him from his terrible fate."

"But, wait, what do you mean? What terrible fate?" Aster asked, as Sartorius stood and prepared to leave.

"If you do not intervene," Sartorius answered, opening the door, "Then they will kill him. It's up to you now. So, let me ask you, will you choose for him to live? Or…will you choose for him to die? It's all in your hands."

"But…how? Why…?"

Sartorius turned. "Do you believe in angels, Aster?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Be his angel," Sartorius told him.

"Wait, what? I don't understand…"

"You will one day."

Aster stood stunned as Sartorius closed the door. Looking down at Chazz, he wondered exactly how he was supposed to be his "angel." Nevertheless, since Sartorius seemed so certain of it, he was willing to oblige. After all, nothing was enough trouble to help Chazz out. He couldn't just let him die.

Gently, he took the other boy in his arms and held him, shaking. He didn't like to admit it but…he was scared. He didn't trust himself with Chazz. What if he messed up? However, he had no choice. He had to protect Chazz and save him from his life.

Alexis stepped over to him and placed her hand on Aster's shoulder. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," He admitted, "I really don't know."

She sat next to him and embraced him. "Well, you'd better figure something out soon. Otherwise…" She trailed off and looked down at Chazz. Squeezing Aster tighter, she told him, "Don't let him die…I'll trust you with him this once."

"Oh, I won't," Aster assured her, clenching his teeth, his eyes narrowing, "Whoever causes him any sort of pain will suffer. That I can promise."

* * *

**A/N: Not my best chapter. I'm sorry people! I'm really trying. T-T I'll try harder next chapter and it'll be a better chapter. This was sort of a transition. I'm sorry it sucked. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, I'm still here. And trying VERY hard. I hope that I can somehow crank out my ideas in a presentable manner. --;;**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX.**

* * *

Chapter 7:

Aster sat by the hospital bed, stroking Chazz's hair. He sighed heavily and tried to understand why this had happened. It just didn't make any sense. There was no way that it could have been simple emotion that had caused the boy to go into a coma. No, there had to be some other explanation. He must've had a pre-existing condition. Or maybe…someone had harmed him somehow. But who would've done such a thing? Could it have been his brothers as Sartorius suggested? Or maybe it was Alexis. After all, she had seemed pretty desperate to stop them from dating. Then again, maybe Sartorius was jealous of Chazz and wanted to put him out…Quickly, Aster shook these thoughts from his head. They were far too ludicrous to be possible.

Leaning back in his seat, he stared out the window and watched as the wind blew the trees. Chazz had to come back soon. Otherwise, he didn't know what he'd do. However, Sartorius had told him it was up to him. How then, was he supposed to bring him back from his coma if he didn't know what to do? Frustrated, he held his head in his hands and sighed again.

"Chazz, please do us all a favor and come back," He moaned, shaking his head in dismay, "I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do."

He bit his lip and figured he might as well try to do something. First, though, he had to know what had caused this and what sort of strange illness it was. Whatever it was, it had the strangest symptoms! First, a stomachache, then a coma? It just didn't make any sense. Something wasn't adding up. Something wasn't right. Could it be that it really was love that had caused him so much distress?

"Chazz, you don't have to worry," Aster muttered, stroking his cheek with the back of his hand, "It'll be all right. No one's mad at you for loving me."

At that moment, there was a sharp knock on the door. Aster jumped, startled. Finally, he rose to his feet and cracked the door open.

"We're here to see Chazz," A voice growled.

Aster blinked, unable to believe his eyes. Were they really here? "What do you want with him?" He asked bitterly, suspicious.

"We want to see our brother," Slade insisted, "We only mean to check on his condition."

"You can't come in." Aster muttered, standing his ground.

"Why not? We are his family, you are not. You shouldn't be in here. How did you convince them to let you in?"

"I'm Aster Phoenix," He replied smugly, "I can be anywhere I want."

"Cocky, now aren't you?" Jagger sneered, "Oh, forget it. Just let us see him."

"I don't think so," Aster said, "I won't let you torture him anymore than you already have."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Slade snarled, "What, are you his boyfriend or something?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Pathetic."

"As a matter a fact, I could almost be," Aster admitted, "Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I believe you need to be going somewhere."

"What? No!"

They shoved past him into the room, then stopped seeing Chazz. Slowly, they approached him, frowning.

"So, you're finally going to kick the bucket? Guess that means we get your third of the inheritance," Jagger snorted, "Not like you deserved it anyway. You're not worthy of the Princeton name anyway."

Aster bristled. How dare they taunt him when he was helpless and unable to defend himself! Well, he would not stand for it. "Watch yourselves…"

"What can you do? We're richer and stronger. Besides, we outnumber you."

"You'd be surprised," Aster smirked, "Just try me."

"And we will be happy to put an end to your little boyfriend if you try anything," Slade threatened, holding a knife to Chazz's throat. "Well? Aren't you going to try anything? Aren't you going to back up all that big talk? Or are you not as high and mighty as you like to believe?"

"Don't test my patience," Aster growled, "Put that knife down, now. We don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Correction," Jagger said, smirking, "You don't want anyone to get hurt."

Aster clenched his teeth, trying to control himself. It was all he could to do to keep himself from attacking them right then and there. No, he had to contain it. They wanted him to attack him. He had to do what was best for Chazz. He couldn't make any rash decisions.

"Very well," He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'll pay you to leave."

"No amount of money can get us to change our minds," Slade snapped, "We want him gone. And that's that."

Aster shifted uncomfortably. This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought. He had to find some way to get Chazz away from them. "Can't we just talk about this?"

"What's there to say?"

"Well, I can take him off your hands and--"

"Not as long as our parents are alive will we get the recognition we deserve!" Slade yelled, "He's always been more important than us!"

"That's not true," Aster protested, "Just think about it; you guys are so lucky. You have wealth, prestige, power…your parents back you up and adore you. Don't think I haven't seen you around, even when you were younger. They treat you all equally. You're just deluding yourselves because Chazz is the youngest and it's natural to believe that the youngest is offered special treatment."

Slade and Jagger exchanged a glance. "You know what?" Slade sighed, "You're right. We won't hurt Chazz." He moved away from his younger brother, much to Aster's relief. "Instead, we should take care of the more annoying problem and the bigger block in our road--you."

Aster froze. "Excuse me?"

"You heard us," Jagger snapped, advancing towards him, "We don't want you around any more to prevent us from doing what we have to do."

"Now, now, let's not get too upset…" Aster swallowed hard, backing away.

"I don't want you telling us what to do!" Slade screamed, "You have no authority over us!" He seized Aster by the front of the shirt and slammed the knife into his chest before he had time to react.

"Come on, let's GO now," Jagger insisted, tugging at his brother's arm, "We've done what we had to so--"

"NO!" Slade shouted, striking Jagger across the cheek, "I won't leave until I know he's good and dead! And if you have anything to say about it, or if you leave, then you are the biggest wuss that I've EVER met! You don't want to soil the family's name like Chazz, now do you?"

Jagger frowned. "Me soil the family name? You already have by killing an innocent person!"

"Well, I have news for you," Slade snapped, "He's not dead…yet!"

Aster struggled to stand and escape. In effect, Slade grabbed him around the neck and slammed him back against the wall.

"You think you can get away that easily?" He sneered, "Yeah right. Just allow it and it won't be as painful."

"You're going to kill Chazz after you kill me, aren't you?" Aster gasped, blood spattering from his mouth as he spoke.

Slade laughed. "Check it out, Jagger, the mutt catches on pretty fast, don't you think?"

Aster narrowed his eyes. "Don't make fun of me. I can do more than you think. And how dare you try to kill Chazz! Over my dead body!"

"Isn't that ironic?" Slade taunted, "And it shall be done. Don't think you can be so heroic. We won't give you the chance. You're nothing but an arrogant little boy. There's not a thing you can do about this. It's not your decision."

Having said that, he shoved the knife deeper into the silver haired boy's chest. Aster gripped the handle of the knife, trying to prevent the whole knife from penetrating through. He tried not to struggle too much. It was dangerously close to his heart. One wrong move…and he'd be dead.

As Slade kept pushing, and Aster found himself overpowered, he realized he'd have to go to desperate measures. Holding the knife back with one hand, he reached out and suddenly grabbed Slade's neck. When he did this, he made sure to press on the older boy's most sensitive spot, rendering him helpless.

Slade screamed as agonizing pain shot through him. He dropped to the floor, unconscious. Jagger stared at his brother. It had happened so fast, he hadn't been able to defend Slade. Finally, his adrenaline kicked in.

"How dare you!" He roared, attacking Aster and pushing him to the floor.

Aster struggled under his weight, trying to free his hand so he could do the same to Jagger. However, he was pinned down. Jagger beat the sides of his head, making him feel faint. Feeling dizzy from pain and loss of blood, Aster began to black out. Still, he continued to struggle. Finally, seeing that he could not fight the other man off, he tried to call for help. It was too late. Jagger administered a final blow to his head, sending him into a blackened world.

----------------------------------------------------------

_"I see you're finally here."_

Aster's eyes shot open. Where was he? He looked around; however, found he could not see anything. Was he blind?

"Who's there?" He called, trying to stand.

_"Who do you think it is, you moron? Thanks for nothing."_

"Ch-Chazz?" Aster stammered, unable to believe it, "Where are we?"

_"You idiot! We're dead!"_

"D-dead?" Aster felt sick to his stomach, "We can't be dead. No, you're just in a coma. And I must be in a coma too."

_"No, we have to be dead. And this must be hell. Serves us right, I guess." _He sounded melancholy.

"Don't talk like that!" Aster reprimanded, "Stop it! We're NOT dead. We're just fine. We'll get out…somehow."

_"For the love of--listen, Asshole. We're dead, we're dead, we're DEAD. If you don't believe me, then that's your problem. Do you have a better explanation to why we're in the same place and can talk to each other?"_

"There must be some way that we can communicate while in a coma," Aster rationalized, "And soon, we'll wake up."

_"You dumbass! We're NEVER waking up! Don't you understand?"_

Aster sighed heavily. "I DO wish you'd stop this nonsense. Please shut up and let me think."

_"Fine, I see how it's gonna be. I'll just go away now, and never come back. You'll never hear from me again!"_

"Stop that!" Aster snapped, though worry was beginning to wash over him, "Look, I sacrificed myself for you! I tried to save you!"

_"Well it wasn't enough. They got me."_

"You ingrate!" Aster shouted, "I did the best I could! And you don't even care, do you? If we're really dead, then I died protecting your sorry ass."

_"I can fend for myself,"_ He snorted, _"And even if I was in a coma, then you should've just gotten out of there. Saved your own skin. But no, you had to go and die too!"_ Chazz began to sound as though he were going to cry. _"You stupid ass! I just wanted you to live…But now, because of me--you should never have gotten involved with me. I told you not to."_

Perhaps it was the irony of the situation, perhaps it was the shock of being dead, but somehow, this struck Aster as being ridiculously funny. He began to laugh hysterically. "That's gold," He shook his head, almost crying, "We died trying to save each other! And you were incapacitated…there wasn't a thing you could do! Man, that is GOLD."

_"It's NOT funny!"_ Chazz snarled, _"Stop laughing! STOP!"_

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Aster laughed, wiping his eyes, "I'm really sorry."

Chazz only grunted in response. Then, he was silent. Aster began to feel sick again.

"Chazz? How do we get out of here?"

There was no response.

"Chazz? Chazz?! Look, I know I was mean but…I'm sorry, Ok? Please talk to me."

He refused to respond, causing Aster to grow all the more hysterical.

"Chazz? Please talk to me! I beg you! I never meant to…Chazz?"

Aster whipped his head around, trying to find the other boy. However, he still was unable to see.

"Ok, this isn't funny anymore," He muttered, "You've gotten me back. I'm scared as hell now. Please come back."

He fell silent and listened intently. Eerie quiet answered him. Growing increasingly uneasy, he held his tongue, waiting.

Suddenly, he became aware of a dim light. Gradually it grew brighter and brighter.

"Am I going to heaven?" He wondered stupidly, as the light engulfed him. "Or could it be…"

Before he knew what was happening, his vision had turned white. He felt as though he were being controlled. Slowly, things came back into focus. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a vacant lot. He began to realize what exactly had happened.

"Oh….shit…"

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**A/N: Well, what happened? You'll have to wait 'til next chapter to find out. : P**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well, I really hope that I can make this fic make sense. I'm not saying I am going to suck at this chapter, I just have some plot holes I need to avoid. If I step in one…please forgive me for it. XD I'm trying. Now, on with the long awaited chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX.**

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Chapter 8:

Aster sat up in a panic. Pain shot through his body as the stab wound began to throb. Moaning, he looked around, only to find the terrain unfamiliar. He tried to sit up; however, his lower body gave a protest, forcing him to lie back down. As he lay still, he began to think about what must've happened to him. It felt as though he'd been beaten and raped. Perhaps he had been. However, that didn't explain his contact with Chazz. Perhaps he'd had an out of body experience. Or maybe…he was dead.

The thought was sobering. It made him feel as though his heart was being torn apart to think that he'd never see Chazz or any of his friends again. Fresh determination filled him. He had to fight. It was the only way to save himself and Chazz.

With great difficulty, he got to his feet and stumbled through the field, trying to keep his balance. Finding the task too difficult, his legs buckled, causing him to fall down again. He looked down at the blood stains on the ground, his hands, and his pants.

"Damn," He muttered, his face contorting in pain, "I really wish that hadn't happened…damn Slade….damn Jagger…those bastards raped me!"

He sighed heavily and tried to get to his feet again. He had to find some way back. After all, Chazz's brothers might return. He couldn't take that chance. Besides, what if they went for him next? What if they decided they'd rape Chazz just to be wicked? No, he could not let that happen. He could never let that happen. Feeling more resolute than before, he rose to his feet and staggered across the lot. He'd get back to Chazz, even if it nearly killed him in the process.

* * *

"Wake up, little brother. I know you can hear us."

Chazz groaned softly and tried to open his eyes. However, he felt too drowsy and too weak. It was as though a fog had fallen over his mind, keeping him from reality.

"I think the drug has worn off by now; shouldn't he be awake?"

"Yes, maybe. But keep in mind he was in a real coma before we administered that drug."

"You did WHAT?!" Chazz thought, however, he was unable to speak these words.

"You really want to be awake for this one, kid. It's about your little boyfriend…"

Dread washed over him. Desperately, he tried to open his eyes. No matter how hard he tried though, he was unable to wake himself up.

"Yeah, we stabbed him…" Slade laughed.

Jagger continued Slade's sentence, "Then we raped him and left him in an empty lot. He isn't going to EVER come back."

Anger rose inside Chazz. Finally, his emotions overrode his weakness. His eyes shot open, and he sat up, heaving with fury.

"How COULD you?!" He snapped.

Slade and Jagger laughed a bit as though their younger brother's display of anger was funny.

"You RAPED him?!" Chazz gasped, "How DARE you!!"

"Not like you can do anything about it," Jagger sneered, "We could kill you right now."

Chazz looked up at them, anger flashing in his eyes. However, he knew they were right. He had no choice but to hold his tongue. After all, he knew what they could do when provoked.

"Yes, we could kill you," Slade said, "But we won't."

Chazz's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?"

"Because you're our brother and we owe you that much," Slade replied, sighing.

Chazz stared at them, puzzled. "But…I thought you hated me…"

"Well, we can't have mom and dad against us," Jagger growled, elbowing Slade sharply in the ribs, "So let's just go now, all right, Slade?"

"Fine," Slade grumbled, "See you around, little brother."

The two exited, leaving Chazz angry and confused. How could they have done such terrible things, acted like they were going to kill him, then turn around one hundred eighty degrees? It mad absolutely no sense at all. In fact, it was rather as though they'd either changed their minds, or played a dirty trick on him. Unless…

Quickly, he shook his head. No, that just wasn't possible. What a ridiculous idea! There was no way that it could have been…could it? Feeling paranoid, he glanced over his shoulder. No, there was nothing there. Why, then, did he have the strange feeling that he wasn't alone?

Shivering, he tried to brush it off as he got to his feet, trembling from weakness. He might be scared, he might be sick, but that would not stop him from going to find Aster. After all, the boy had saved his life. Now, it was time for him to return that favor. He quickly dressed and took a deep breath. Wincing with each step, he made his way to the door. No matter what, he was going to save Aster.

Limping, he snuck down the hall and peered around the corner. Seeing that no one was there, he hurried to the elevator as fast as his body would allow him. Then, taking care to make sure no one caught him, he made his way out the double doors of the hospital and into freedom. Sighing in relief, he felt as though he'd accomplished his first major obstacle. Now, he had to find some sort of transportation. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Thinking about it, he realized that he had no clue where Aster was. If that was the case, then he'd never find him and his efforts would be wasted. However, if he didn't try…

He clutched his head in his hands, distressed and confused. He tried to come up with some sort of plan. As he thought more deeply about it, he realized that he had been able to communicate with the other boy when he'd been in a coma. Strangely enough, that had been what had snapped him out of it. In fact, perhaps Aster's presence had done some sort of internal healing. If that was true, then maybe he could use the same principle to aid him in this situation. He just had to find some way to communicate with Aster again. But how? It just didn't make any sense.

"Boss…"

He whirled around, confused. "Who said that?!"

"It's me, Boss!" Ojama Yellow appeared before him, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?!" He snapped, irritated and panicked, "I'm trying to find Aster!"

"Oh…" Ojama Yellow fell silent for a moment, which was quite unlike its nature.

"What?" Chazz asked, now feeling uneasy by his duel spirit's behavior. "What's wrong?"

"Aster?" Ojama Yellow looked down, "I know where he is, Boss."

Chazz leapt to his feet so quickly his head spun. "Where?!" He shouted, "Tell me! I have to find him."

"I can show you…"

"Ok, but how do you know?" Chazz raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious.

"Because your spirits are connected," Ojama Yellow answered, "Now come on!" It tugged at Chazz's sleeve, trying to get him to budge.

"All right, all right. I really can't take any chances. I have no choice but to believe you."

That being said, Ojama Yellow wordlessly floated in front of Chazz. He had no choice but to follow. Neither of them said a word as they made their way down the road. However, it wasn't long before Chazz began to feel weak and dizzy again. He clutched his side, dropping to his knees and breathing hard.

"Boss!"

"I'm all right…" He panted, smiling wanly, "I just…got a little tired, that's all." Growling and clenching his teeth, he thought, "Damn. I can't have my body giving out on me like this. I need to be able to keep going. Otherwise, Aster might die!" Gathering all the willpower he had, he rose to his feet and stumbled down the path.

He kept telling himself that he was all right, that Aster was all right. However, deep inside, he worried that neither of them would be all right. He worried that he might fall into a coma again, and then no one would be able to help Aster or him. Gritting his teeth, he kept pushing himself, though the pain was growing almost unbearable.

"Boss, you don't look so good," Ojama Yellow commented, "Maybe you should just sit down…"

"No," He gasped, his face contorting in pain, "I'm all right. I can keep going and I will." He ignored the Ojama's pleas and kept walking.

After what seemed like hours of agonizing torture, and once they were away from civilization, they reached an empty field. The Ojama veered off the side of the road and led Chazz towards the middle. He swallowed hard as they stopped and stared down at the blood stained grass.

"Where is he?" Chazz asked, his eyes beginning to water. The wind blew his ebony spikes in his face; his expression remained mournful. "You said he was here…What happened to him?"

Ojama Yellow looked uncomfortable. "Uh…I'm sure he's all right, Boss. Don't worry, we'll find him."

"Don't worry?!" Chazz snapped suddenly, grasping the little creature around the waist, "How can you expect me to NOT worry when there's a bunch of blood all over the ground? What if he's dead? I can't live without him!" He dropped to the ground and slammed his fists against the earth. "Dammit. DAMMIT!! Phoenix, where are you?! I can't lose you…" Tears fell from his eyes, staining the soil, "How could I have been so careless? This is all my fault…dammit…dammit…damn…"

"Come on, Boss, he's got to be around here somewhere." Ojama Yellow encouraged, "Get up. See? There's a trail of blood going that way…"

"Is that supposed to be comforting?!" Chazz snapped, his eyes flashing with anger, "He's BLEEDING. Get that through your thick skull!" He tried to rise to his feet; however, he'd pushed his body too hard. He could merely fall back down and lie in the grass, panting. Fear struck him as he felt himself blacking out. The last thing he needed was to faint again.

"Boss?"

Chazz sighed heavily and closed his eyes, growing dizzier. He failed to respond to the Ojama's call.

"Boss? Helloooo…you really need to see this. Boss? Boss?" It fell silent momentarily, seeing that Chazz was not paying him any attention. "BOSS?!"

Chazz finally opened his eyes, annoyed. "WHAT?!"

"Oh, good, you're not dead," The Ojama looked relieved, "Over there…" It gestured with his tiny finger, "Is that Aster?"

"Don't toy with me about that now," Chazz snapped, looking all the more irked.

"No, I'm serious, Boss. Look!"

Chazz finally did as the duel spirit asked, just in case it was serious. His charcoal eyes widened. "Aster…" He whispered. Suddenly, his energy returned to him. Jumping to his feet, he ran over to the silver-haired duelist and collapsed by his side. "Aster!"

Seeing that the other boy didn't respond, he reached out and felt for a pulse. Relief washed over him for a minute; however, it did not last long. Just as he was about to pull his hand away, he felt it fluttering, growing weaker.  
"No, Aster…please don't…" He whispered, beginning to tremble, "I just now found you…you've got to be all right…" Leaning down, he brushed his lips to Aster's, then laid his head on Aster's chest.

Aster slowly opened his sapphire eyes. However, the sparkle was all but gone. His face was pale, his eyes dull. "Chazz…I'm sorry…"

"No, don't say that, Aster. It's all right, everything's all right." Chazz pulled Aster's head in his lap, "Stay with me, Ok?"

"You shouldn't have come. You should've stayed in the hospital." Aster told him, frowning a bit.

"Even now, you try to tell me what to do?" Chazz asked, a bit taken aback, "I owe you, Asshole. You saved my life, now it's my turn to save yours! Now, I'm going to get you out of here."

"Chazz," Aster muttered, "I…"

"What?" Chazz draped Aster's arm around his shoulders and pulled him to his feet.

Aster sighed heavily. "Never mind. I'll tell you later."

Chazz just shrugged and began to drag Aster back towards the road. Immediately, his body began to give way to stress and weakness. Gritting his teeth again, he kept going, ignoring the aching throb in his legs. Even though he was trembling, there was no way that he was going to let Aster die. He had to get him to the hospital. He figured he should call an ambulance; well, he would have if he'd had his cell phone with him. Glancing down at Aster, he looked to see if he had a cell phone. Much to his relief, Aster did. Chazz laid Aster down on the grass and took the phone. He called for help.

As he'd expected, they weren't too happy that he'd escaped from the hospital; however, they didn't say anything to him because of the emergency at hand. All Chazz could do after calling was sit and wait. His stomach twisted in knots at the agony of apprehension.

"Aster, you hanging in there?"

Aster nodded, looking sorrowful.

"What's wrong?"

"Chazz…" Aster murmured, "Once I tell you…you probably won't want me anymore."

"What are you talking about?" He held his breath, though he figured he knew what Aster meant.

Aster took a deep breath. "Chazz…your brothers…they…raped me."

There was a long silence. Chazz stared straight ahead, his face lacking any emotion. Finally, swallowing hard, he pulled his knees to his chest and spoke. "I know. My brothers already told me. Still, it's hard to hear and accept. It's all right." He paused before continuing, the emotion building inside him as the shock wore off, "I'm not going to let you wander this world alone just because something that you couldn't control was forced on you! Aster…how could you think that I'd abandon you?"

Aster shook his head, unable to respond. Deep inside, he was relieved. However, that didn't heal the pain he felt concerning the matter. "I'm really sorry. If I hadn't…then none of this would've happened…"

"Don't blame yourself!" Chazz's head snapped up, his charcoal eyes now filled with anger and rage, "Don't you see? That's what they WANT you to think. But you're NOT a bad person. You're not, Ok? I love you and I'm going to do everything in my power to right this situation. Hell, I'll kill them. This really doesn't make any sense though. I know they're jerks but…they've never done anything like this before…I really can't believe they would."

"I know what happened!" Aster shouted. "They raped me, Ok?! What are you going to do, just let it go because they're you're brothers?"

"Didn't you just hear me?" Chazz snapped, "I AM going to get them back. They are dead men now. Trust me, Aster, they will get theirs. Even if I'm not the one to deliver it…rest assured…they WILL be punished. After all, what goes around, comes around."

Aster nodded, refusing to respond to this comment.

At that moment, the ambulance came into view. Chazz attempted to stand, however, he was unable to. The paramedics had to load both Chazz and Aster in the vehicle, seeing that they were immobile at the time. It didn't matter to Chazz, though, that he was in trouble for leaving the hospital and had injured himself further. As long as Aster was all right. And as long as he got revenge…that was all that mattered then. His brothers would not get away with what they had done. Chazz would make sure of that.

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**A/N: Really sorry that it's a short chapter. But I really am trying to keep writing this story. I'm having a hard time, though. I have the basic idea, it just doesn't want to be written. -.-;; I'll do my best, however, to keep the story alive.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Updating it twice in one weekend…I know that's rare for me but oh well. This chapter is dedicated to GintaxAlvissForever…I hope this helps your crappy weekend. :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX.**

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Chapter 9:

Chazz sat by the hospital window, trying to get his mind off the burning anger rising inside of him. It was bad enough that his brothers had raped Aster, but now that he had to wait to punish them, it was even worse. How he would love to leave the hospital and give them what they deserved! After, of course, they offered him an explanation for what they had done.

It really didn't make too much sense to him. They didn't need to hurt Aster in order to hurt him. Couldn't they have just hurt him instead? Perhaps they wanted him to feel as though it had been his fault.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, telling himself that he had to wait. It would do him no good to try to escape again. Especially not when they had him under constant surveillance now. It didn't matter _why_ he'd escaped…it just mattered that he had escaped. It was not really an admirable thing to do.

At that moment, there was a small knock on the door. It was as though the person on the other side of the door felt hesitant to come in. Rolling his eyes, he granted them permission to enter.

The door opened then softly shut. "Chazz?" Came a quiet female voice, "Are you all right?"

Chazz turned around to see Alexis standing in the entrance of the room, looking concerned. He nodded, then gestured for her to come over and pull up a chair beside him. She did so wordlessly, as though she were even afraid to do so.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"If you mean physically, then I'm sore but I'm getting better. Otherwise, not so good. You do know what my brothers did to Aster, don't you?"  
She shook her head. "I've heard nothing about it."

He bristled, every muscle in his body tensing up. What an outrage! He'd already told the doctors and the media alike what had occurred! Why was it not out in the papers? Growling low in his throat, he figured that Slade and Jagger had their lawyers talk their way out of it, saying that it wasn't true. After all, it was his word against his brothers. And his brothers had more control of the family's assets than he did at the time. They could easily pay their way out of a potential mess.

Alexis spoke, snapping Chazz out of his thoughts. "What happened?"

He turned and glared in her direction, though not at her. "My brothers beat the crap out of him, stabbed him, then raped him! Can you imagine?! How bold of them…"

She looked taken aback. "RAPED HIM?!"

He nodded, looking grim. "And I'm guessing it's not in the news?"

"Well," She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, adjusting her skirt, "They are saying that Aster was hurt but they won't tell us what happened or really how he was hurt. They keep saying they don't know whenever questioned."

"My interview wasn't on there?"

She shook her head. "I haven't seen you since you fell ill at Duel Academy. Not even on television…They haven't even so much as mentioned your name."

"Those bastards!" Chazz snapped, "I told them EVERYTHING that happened and they didn't care!"

"Not to mention Aster has been deemed 'unfit to answer questions.' They think he's too ill. And his lawyer is advising him to let him take care of it. So Aster can't even tell what happened to him! It's just crazy," She shook her head in disbelief, "And Sartorius has been desperately trying to report for Aster, but no one is listening to him because his report came from Aster."

"That's just ridiculous," Chazz muttered, gripping the armrests of the chair, "Aster should have the right to tell what happened to him. He's entitled to the right, for Pete's sake. Why are my brothers allowed to speak for themselves but he's not? It just doesn't make any sense. It shouldn't be a financial issue--both my brothers and Aster have loads of cash. So why should they get precedence? Why should they be allowed to fend for themselves? It's just not fair!" He rose suddenly to his feet, anger pulsing through every vein.

Alexis took hold of his wrist and tried to pull him back down to the chair. "Chazz, please, you're still recovering. You need to be still and rest. Otherwise, you'll only make it worse like you did before." Her amber eyes searched his charcoal ones, begging him to listen.

"And why does it matter to you?" He snorted, "Why are you so upset all of the sudden? Usually, you'd be beating me over the head ordering me to rest by now…"

She sighed and stood as well, still gripping his wrist. "Look, I feel bad, Ok? I haven't done anything, per say, but I feel like I shouldn't have treated Aster so badly. I was just trying to look out for you. I never meant for him to be upset or anything. I never wanted him to get hurt. It's just that…I wanted to protect you. You're like a brother to me and…I really don't want to lose that relationship. I don't want you to completely forget about me or to get hurt again. I know I hurt you but…you're like family, you know? I just didn't want you to get involved too quickly with the wrong person and make a mistake. Of course, by doing so, and being so careful, I made some mistakes. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

He stared at her for a moment before answering. "You don't have to feel bad," He said slowly, "It's not your fault and you had nothing to do with this incident. As for the past incidents, of course I forgive you. How could I not? I love you…well…not like that anymore but, you know."

She smiled a little. "I know, and I love you too. As a brother." She hugged him tightly.

He only hugged her back as he assured her, "You'll never lose me and I'll never stop being there for you. Don't ever worry about that again. And don't worry about me. I can take care of myself and I've learned from past mistakes too. Ok?"

She nodded, releasing him. "All right." After a moment of silence, she asked, "Are you allowed to see Aster?"

Chazz shook his head. "I'm supposed to stay in here."

"Do you want me to see him and report to you?"

"Well, I don't think that anyone's really allowed to see him except for his lawyer and Sartorius." Chazz told her, "But you could try if you really wanted to."

"Or we could ask Sartorius how he's doing." Alexis suggested.

Chazz shifted from one foot to the other. "Yeah but…it's not the same."

"You just really want to see him yourself, don't you?" Alexis asked quietly.

Chazz nodded. "More than anything. I die a little more inside each hour that passes." He paused for a moment, looking sad. Suddenly, he looked as though he'd been struck by inspiration. A devilish grin spread across his face. "Hey…do you think that by any chance you could maybe…"

"Oh no," She told him, frowning, "We are NOT going to attempt something that risky."

"Oh, come on, please?" Chazz begged, "I really want to see him. Please?" He gave her puppy dog eyes.

She bit her lip, looking exasperated. "Fine. But only because I'm really worried about him."

Chazz grinned and hugged her. "You're the best!"

"I try," She grimaced and pushed him off, "Now, wait in here until I have your guard good and distracted. Ok?"

He nodded, looking eager.

She stepped out into the hallway, making sure to shut the door. As she walked out, she gave the security guard a brief glance, then started to walk away. As irresponsible as it was, his interest was pricked. Alexis had to admit that, while she was good at it, she didn't feel very comfortable with it. Rather, she felt sort of slutty doing such a thing. However, she was willing to do it in order for Chazz to see Aster. After all, he was sure to heal Aster in some sort of way. Besides, she was anxiously awaiting news about the silver haired duelist. So far, the reports she'd been hearing had not been good.

She glanced around the hall, pretending as though she didn't really know where she was or what she was doing. She muttered to herself about her 'poor sick cousin' and 'what would mother think if I came back without any news.'

"Excuse me, miss, can I help you?" The guard asked, tapping her on the shoulder.

She turned around, putting an innocent, helpless expression on her face. "Yes, I'm sort of lost. You see, my cousin is very sick, and maybe even on the brink of death. The problem is, I can't find his room. And my mother will be extremely angry if I don't tell her about him."

"Let me help you," The guard told her, "I can show you his room, that is, if you know the room number."

Alexis quickly invented a number and told him. The guard had to stop to think about it for awhile, since it wasn't on that floor. While he stumbled over an answer, Chazz opened the door part way. Alexis jerked her head a bit to one side, indicating that he could go. Seeing that he had the opportunity, he rushed down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

"…so go down the hall and make a right." The guard finished.

"Thank you so much," Alexis told him, as sincerely as possible, "I don't know what I would've done without you."

"I'm just doing my job," He insisted, looking quite proud indeed.

Alexis only hid her smirk as she turned down the hall in the direction the guard had directed her. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice Chazz's absence until much later.

* * *

Chazz snuck down the hall, somehow managing to elude doctors and nurses. It sure took him awhile, seeing how he didn't really know where he was, but he eventually found the room. It was obvious, after all, since Sartorius was standing outside it on the phone. Ignoring the psychic, Chazz slipped through the cracked door and into the darkened room.

Once his eyes adjusted, he began to look around. The room was barely lit by a small light above the hospital bed. There was a white nightstand next to the bed, a chair next to the nightstand, and a dresser and television opposite the bed. A bathroom was the room adjoining the bedroom, he noted, with a closet opposite it. Finally, his eyes once more fell on the metal hospital bed, and the lump under the sheets. He stepped over and sat down in the chair.

"Aster," He whispered very softly.

The lump moved a bit, then the covers slipped down. Aster looked up with tired eyes, his hair disheveled. "Hi, Chazz." He sat up, though he was trembling all over. He seemed sort of irritated at being disturbed.

"You look really sick," Chazz commented, looking concerned. "Are you going to be Ok?"

Aster shook his head. "Probably not. I mean, I was only stabbed and raped! What will this do for my reputation? For my career?" He sent Chazz a sideways glare.

"Don't worry, Aster, no one knows about it--"

"But they should!" He snapped, "Because I don't feel as though I can go on with a career that upholds people like that! I mean, I can hardly even associate with your family much less you…if your parents raised them to be like that then how did they raise you?"

Chazz swallowed hard. "Please don't tell me that you're putting me in the same category as them."  
"You come from the same family, how can I not?" Aster snapped, lying back down. "Look, I'm sorry, Chazz, but…I need some time to recover, Ok? The reason that no one's allowed to see me is not because I'm too sick--though I really feel like I am--it's because I told them not to let anyone see me. I don't want to be disturbed because I might end up hurting someone like I just hurt you."

Chazz's heart sank. "You're not sorry, are you?"

"Not really."

There was a long, pained silence. Finally, Chazz stood. "Ok, I understand. I'll see you later, I guess. And if you want nothing more to do with me, then I understand that too." He began to leave, tears welling up in his eyes. His heart ached more with each step; he found it difficult to breathe at all.

"Chazz, wait."

He stopped in the doorway, the tears spilling over. Hugging himself a bit, he bit his lip and waited for Aster to say what he had to say. However, he hoped that it would not be a warning or a command to stay away.

"Don't come back while I'm in the hospital. We can talk this out once I leave."

Chazz nodded, then ran out the door, in too much pain to even know where he was going. His tears blurred his vision as he hurried down the hall, trying to get back to his own room. Aster had said he didn't want to see him again. Forget the last part. That was so he wouldn't go kill himself. Like he would even try. Why would he do a thing like that anyway? Aster just didn't want to hear about him at all. He might as well just drop off the face of the earth. Dying would mean that Aster would have to deal with him. If he just dropped off the earth, then Aster would never have to bother again.

Somehow, he managed to make it back to his room. Ignoring the shouts from the security guard, he burst through the door and threw himself on his bed. Shaking and panting, he clutched his pillow, tears still streaming down his face. Maybe he'd misinterpreted it. Maybe he was overreacting. After all, Aster had been through a pretty traumatic experience.

Thinking more on the subject, he took a deep breath to calm himself and managed to stop crying. Calm slowly washed over him as he told himself it was all a misunderstanding; Aster wasn't mad at him, he was just upset, shaken, and scared. How could Chazz hold him accountable for what he said? He was sick. Deciding that he should just wait and give it some time before being overly dramatic about it, he went weak with relief and lay still, his face in the pillow.

"How'd you get out, Mr. Princeton?" The security guard growled, interrupting him from his thoughts.

Chazz looked up, scowling, his eyes a bit red from crying. "That's none of your business. Just go away; I want to be left alone." He rolled over on his side, now angry. Now he knew how Aster had felt. He hadn't necessarily been mad at him, he'd just been mad in general.

"I can't let you escape like that again," The guard snapped, "Don't make me strap you down to the bed."

"You won't have to," Chazz grumbled, "I'm staying in here from now on."

Looking skeptical, the guard backed out of the room and shut the door, leaving Chazz alone. He rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling, trying to decide what he should do. Certainly he should give Aster his space. But after that…what could he do to rebuild the trust? What should he do? As for his brothers…should he punish them or did Aster want something else to be done? Feeling frustrated, he realized that he'd have to wait to figure out the answers. Patience was not exactly his best virtue, either. There wasn't much he could do about it though. It was not really in his hands anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there ya go. I hope it wasn't too angsty or OOC..though it probably was…sorry. (cringe) Next chapter should be up soon enough.**


	10. Chapter 10

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A/N: I think that this just might be the last chapter. I really can't write this anymore because the plot bunny is dead. I mean, ideas are not enough. I was about ready to wrap it up anyway. The story itself is coming to a closing. I'm sorry I can't make it any longer.

**Disclaimer: I do not own GX.**

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Chapter 10:

Chazz walked out to the dock, holding the box close to his chest. His face was set in a deep scowl, his mouth turned sharply down in a pout. As he walked, he grumbled to himself, though, truth be told, he wasn't exactly as angry as he was making out like. In fact, he felt rather nervous about the whole matter.

It had been a month and a half since Aster had been raped, yet they had hardly exchanged more than two words of greeting in the halls. Somehow though, Chazz understood why. Aster was ashamed. It was becoming increasingly apparent that he completely blamed himself for the matter, and was afraid to approach Chazz on the subject. So Chazz had decided to go to him, since he did have something to give him anyway. And that was why he was trying to appear as normal as possible. So Aster would not freak out and call his bodyguards on Chazz. The last thing he needed was for Aster to think he was going to rape him.

Glancing down at the box, Chazz wondered if Aster would accept the gift from the Chancellor. After all, it seemed awfully phony since Chazz was taking it to him. Who was to say he wasn't lying? He felt as though he just could not win Aster's trust again. Perhaps he could, who was to know?

Taking care to be as gentle as possible about it, Chazz stepped onto Aster's yacht. As he did so, he began to have second thoughts. Perhaps it would've been wise to call ahead. Yes, that would've been quite the thing to do. But now it seemed to be a little late for that. He cringed as he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs from beneath.

A large, muscular man appeared in the doorway. His T-shirt clung to his built figure, making Chazz all the more nervous. He glared at the teen, then barked, "What do you want?!"

Chazz swallowed hard before holding the box a ways out, shaking very slightly. "I have to see Aster. The Chancellor asked me to give this to him."

The man raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious. He reached out for the box. "I'll take it to him."

Chazz's heart sank. He felt as though he might actually cry. "I really want to talk to him," He finally admitted, "I need to talk to him. It's important."

"What's your name?"

Chazz bit his lip. "Chazz. Chazz Princeton."

The bodyguard's scowl deepened. "Aster asked specifically that you not be allowed to see him."

"What?!" Chazz felt as though his heart had been ripped in two. "But…but…"

"He doesn't want anything to do with you or your family ever again," The man snapped, taking the box. "And I bet this isn't really from the Chancellor either?"

Chazz opened his mouth to protest, however, it was far too late. The box had already been carelessly tossed over the side of the yacht. He tried to catch it, but ended up falling overboard as well.

The bodyguard laughed. "Pathetic!" He snorted, turning around and starting to head back below.

"Wait!" Chazz snapped, growing angry, "I really have to talk to him! I'm not playing around with you. Get back here! You KNOW who I am. You KNOW what my family can do to you for that! Aster can't hide under there forever! He has to face me sooner or later. He can't just deny everything that happened!"

"Watch you mouth, boy!" The guard pointed a finger at him, "And don't talk to me like that again, or I'll arrest you."

"Looks like I have no choice then," Chazz growled, "I won't give up. I can't just let Aster rot away in his room all his life. You just wait. I'm getting your name. Because I'm taking this to the top." Having said that, he swam a few feet to the dock and hoisted himself up. He didn't even turn back as he walked away towards Duel Academy, grumbling under his breath.

* * *

Chazz glanced around the room, bored and impatient. It seemed to have been hours since he'd called for Sartorius to come and meet him. Perhaps that was just his anxiety talking. Well, no matter. Sartorius wasn't one to go back on his word. If he said he'd be there, then he would be there eventually.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs above, Chazz looked up to see Sartorius making his way to the floor below. He smirked a bit in relief as the psychic approached him.

"Good morning, Chazz," Sartorius greeted, "It's nice to see you. What can I do for you today?"

"Well," Chazz began, "It seems as though one of Aster's bodyguards got a little disrespectful with me this morning."

"Oh, is that so?" Sartorius arched an eyebrow. "What happened now?"

Chazz glowered dourly. "I was ordered by the Chancellor to bring Aster some materials, and that bodyguard of his threw them into the ocean and told me I couldn't see him. He told me that Aster wanted nothing more to do with me. Now, I'm not sure how much of that is true since he always says hello to me in passing…"

Sartorius sighed heavily, "Chazz, the man was only doing his job. He was only doing as he's been asked by Aster and myself."

"What?!" Chazz stared at him, "You asked the bodyguard to keep me from seeing him?"

"I only advised to give it a few months and to confiscate anything that was not brought by me. However, Aster asked that you never be allowed to speak with him in private again. He doesn't want to hurt you but…well, his reasons are very…personal, shall we say."

Chazz stared. "You mean…he never wants to see me again?"

Sartorius looked down at the trembling raven-haired teen in sympathy. He laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry but…it seems that's the case. He just can't get over what happened."

"Well, then, I can give him space but…what am I supposed to do, huh? He can't just pretend that nothing ever happened between us!" Chazz clenched his teeth, angry and hurt. "I'm trying to understand here…What makes him think that he can just hide and that will solve anything? That's it. I don't care what my brothers do. I'm going to tell the world what they've done! I know I've already tried but this time…I'm going to be really serious about it. They'll be ruined! I'm telling my parents even if I have to travel to India. I'm going to go bust in on their meeting if I have to."

Sartorius shook his head. "Now let's not be so rash, all right?"

"No! I can't watch them sabotage and ruin our lives any more. They think I'll be disowned? Ha! That's funny. Because once I'm through with them, _they're _the ones who will be disowned. And we'll NEVER let them come back." Having finished his rant, he turned on his heel and stormed away, his trench coat billowing out behind him.

* * *

Several phone calls later, Chazz found himself seated comfortably in his family's private jet. He stared out the window and thought about what exactly he would say to his parents. After all, it had been about a year or more since he'd last seen them. How would he be able to approach them? How would he explain to them why it was so urgent to interrupt their business trip? Well, whether they believed his story or not would be the answer, he figured. As long as he didn't end up in any more trouble with his family, his brothers, or Aster, all would be well. And if he did end up in more of a mess…he wasn't really sure what he'd do.

For the moment, he had the time to relax and enjoy the solitude. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes as he thought about Aster. If only he could prove to him that he was trustworthy. If only they could just be together. Why had his brothers had to ruin it like that? Well, it was just like them to sabotage his life. It wasn't anything new, it was just worse. However, it made him wonder…how many other people had they hurt and raped without his knowledge? Was that why he hadn't had many friends back in grade school? Shuddering, he pushed the thought from his mind and fell into a troubled sleep.

When he awoke, he found that they were landing. Grimacing, he grabbed his suitcase and stepped off the plane, assuring his pilot that it would not take him more than a day or two. He found his accommodations to be suitable enough; they did not have a hot tub quite as big as he'd have liked, however, he wasn't there for pleasure so it would just have to do. At least it was private and clean enough to be habitable.

He quickly stored his things away and locked his room up before heading off to find the penthouse's Imperial suite. Surely, that would be where his parents were staying. After all, they always stayed in such suites.

A few short raps on the door did the trick. Much to his relief, they were in, and weren't in a meeting. A butler that Chazz did not know answered the door and stared down at him.

"What can I do for you, sir?" The butler asked, though he seemed rather irritated.

Chazz raised his chin a bit, in a show of authority over the butler. This was how one had to deal with such people. "I will be speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Princeton."

"Excuse me?!" The butler seemed taken aback, though he struggled to keep his composure at such a show of dominance, "Who are you to be demanding such an impossible thing?"

"I'm their son," He hissed through his teeth, "So I suggest you do as I tell you."

The butler waved him off. "There's no--"

"Oh, be quiet," Chazz snapped, "You've already overstepped your boundaries. Here, if it will do any good…" He held out his identification card.

The butler looked at it, then back to Chazz's face. Wordlessly, he stepped aside. Chazz only grunted some sarcastic "thank you" and waltzed boldly inside. However, he wasn't feeling half as bold as he was acting. Inside he was terribly nervous about seeing his parents, especially since such an entrance was taboo in his family. It was a wonder the butler had obeyed him. Perhaps he had been in too much shock over Chazz's behavior to do anything else.

Before he could go exploring the entire suite looking for his parents, the butler gestured for him to follow. Chazz followed him down the long, dark hall, a bit suspicious. The butler only opened a large pine door and stepped back. Hesitantly, Chazz walked inside the darkened room.

Once his eyes adjusted, he looked around the room. The walls were painted gold, and there were thick cream colored drapes hanging from wrought iron rods on the floor to ceiling Palladian windows. The floors were stained dark. There was a bookcase in the corner and a cream loveseat off to the side. In the middle of the room was a large green and cream Persian carpet. Finally his eyes drifted over to a plush cream colored couch against the wall, where his parents were cuddled up and looking over some papers.

He blushed a bit, ashamed for walking in on them at such a private moment. His parents had always been very loving of each other, but it still came as a shock to him whenever he saw these types of things. Perhaps it was because of the way they treated other people or maybe it was how most rich families just did not touch or talk to each other. Whatever the case, he knew they would be less than pleased with him.

"Mother…Father…" He spoke very quietly, almost in a whisper. He half hoped that they would not notice him so he could return home unscathed.

His mother looked up first. When her gray eyes met Chazz's, he felt as though he'd definitely made a mistake. He stood frozen, unsure of what to say. She sat up a little straighter and brushed a few strands of her long black hair out of her face, then adjusted the jacket of her business suit around her thin frame.

"Chazz? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry…It's really important," He said softly, looking down, "It's about Slade and Jagger…"

"What now?" Mr. Princeton asked, looking exasperated. He stood, stretching his tall, thin frame out and staring coldly down at Chazz.

Chazz swallowed hard and avoided of the scrutinous gaze of his parents. "They…they tried to kill me…and Aster Phoenix. Then, they raped him…"

There was a long silence. Chazz felt like slapping himself on the forehead. It sure had been a lame excuse. What would they think of him now? Surely, he could have worded that more carefully.

Chazz closed his eyes as he heard light footsteps coming near him. A hand cupped his face. He tensed up, fearful of what might be done to him.

"Chazz…" His mother's voice came, followed by a lengthy sigh, "Is that really true?"

He nodded, tears forming under his closed eyelids. Instead of smacking him, Mrs. Princeton brought him to the couch with her and held him.

"Tell us what happened."

Chazz relaxed and related the entire story. The more he told, the more distressed he became, until he was shaking and twisting the edge of his coat in his hands. His parents were thoroughly shocked by the time he was finished. For a long time, they only held him onto him silently. Finally:

"We'll take care of them, don't you worry," Mrs. Princeton murmured, kissing him on the side of the head, "And we'll make sure that it never happens again."

"Anything else we should know about?" Mr. Princeton growled.

Chazz nodded and related everything that his brothers had done to him. His parents grew increasingly shocked as he went on, disclosing incidents that he'd kept secret for tortuous years. Indeed, they believed him, and decided to punish Slade and Jagger. Mrs. Princeton held Chazz on the couch while her husband called the police.

Chazz was partially relieved and partially more fretful at this point. Although his brothers could not officially talk their way out of this, they would be able to cut their jail time. And that meant that they would be coming after him for tattling. Even though his parents tried to soothe him and assure him that they wouldn't let his brothers hurt him, he wasn't so sure. After all, they couldn't protect him forever. He might be safe for then but eventually, Slade and Jagger would get him back.

* * *

It was a sunny spring day when Chazz arrived back to Duel Academy from the court hearings. Something inside him felt relieved; a large burden had been taken off his shoulders. He almost felt like spinning around in joy; however, that seemed a bit too frivolous and girlish for his taste. Instead, he opted to go down by the beach and watch the tide ebbing. There, at least, he'd be left in peace to contemplate life and enjoy his day in solitude.

He flopped down to the sand and hugged his knees to his chest, closing his eyes and letting the sun warm him. It did feel good to be free. It felt good to no longer worry about the thing that kept happiness away. Perhaps now he wouldn't feel so depressed.

Just as he was beginning to relax, a voice stirred him from his thoughts.

"Hey, Chazz."

Startled, his eyes shot open. That voice…could it really be? He turned just in time to see Aster approaching. The silver haired duelist sat next to him, smiling slightly.

Chazz arched an eyebrow in suspicion. He hadn't seen the boy since his first appearance in the trials. "Um, hey, Aster." Uncertain of what else to say, he shut his mouth and frowned slightly, putting his guard up. For all he knew, this could be some sort of trap.

"So, I was wondering if maybe we could talk."

Chazz glanced over, watching Aster's deep sapphire eyes move over the horizon. He almost lost himself in that gaze, however, quickly turned his attention back to the present. "Um, sure."

Aster sighed and dropped his head on Chazz's shoulder. Immediately, Chazz tensed up. He glared down at the other boy. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he figured he knew that Aster was up to no good.

"I'm really sorry," Aster muttered, "I was stupid to turn you away like that when you were just trying to help. I really was making a big deal out of nothing."

Chazz stared down at him. Could he be serious? "Um…you weren't overreacting. You got raped…of course you'd turn me away!"

"I don't even recall the experience," Aster sighed, "I don't know what happened; I don't know what they did. I mean, yeah, it seemed obvious but…since I don't remember any of it…"

"It's still a traumatic experience," Chazz muttered, "Don't be so hard on yourself. It's all right."

"Are you sure?" Aster snuggled closer to him, looking away in shame, "I feel pretty bad about everything I said about you, especially about how I never wanted anything to do with you or your family again. I realized how decent your folks really were during the trials. That's when I made up my mind that I would be with you. Your brothers just wanted to ruin it for you. They didn't want me. I see their true intentions now and…they're not going to win."

"But don't you feel like it's a little too soon?" Chazz asked, a bit wide eyed, "Don't rush in too fast or you'll never heal emotionally!"

"Hey, I feel like I've had my space. I may be ready, I may not be. I don't really know. All I know is that over the past few days, I've really regretted shutting you out of my life. I've really missed you and I've really needed you. And I know you need me too. I feel almost as though it's my fault for making you doubly miserable. So I might as well try to fix some things and be with you too…then at least you can be happy."

"But," Chazz argued, "If you're not ready, it'll only make it worse for both of us."

Aster looked him right in the eyes. "That's a risk I'm willing to take. You're worth it, Chazz. I really love you. And I want to show you how much I love you by plunging in again. I'm not going to let them ruin it for us. They can't crush my spirit so easily. Don't worry, I'm a strong person, I promise. I can handle it."

Sighing heavily, Chazz draped and arm around the other boy. "All right. If you really want to give it a shot, we can try. I'll go easy on you, though." He smiled as he leaned down and brushed his lips to Aster's temple.

"So you don't blame me for what happened?" Aster asked, "Not at all? Because I felt like I really had a lot to do with it…I distracted them and provoked them--"

"It was their decision. You know that," Chazz pointed out, "And I really owe you for that. You saved my life. You took my punishment. And because it was such a big sacrifice on your part, I'm about to say something that I don't say to just anyone…thank you…thank you so much."

"Anything for my Chazzy," Aster teased lightly, snuggling closer, "Can't have you hurt or anything."

"And now I'll have to do my best to repay you." Chazz muttered, "Whatever you'd like."

"Well, I don't really know how you feel about me at this point…" Aster said quietly, "So I can't really ask you anything."

Grinning, Chazz shook his head. "If you don't know now, then you'll never know. Go on. Shoot."

"All right…" Aster took a deep breath and looked away, "I wish that you'd be my boyfriend and only mine…and I kinda hoped that you wouldn't ever put me through that horrible incident again."

Chazz kissed him on the cheek, letting his fingers drift to Aster's soft, silver hair, "I won't. Next time, I'll take the punishment. My brothers are my problem now, and I won't let them EVER hurt you again. And of course I want to be your boyfriend. Hell, at this point…I'd even be your husband if I could!" Realizing what he'd said, he quickly pasted a scowl on his face, his cheeks reddening, "Disregard that. I was just kidding."

Aster slipped his arms around the youngest Princeton's waist, pressing his cheek against his chest. "One day, you will be," He said softly, "I know it."

Chazz's arms slowly wrapped around Aster as well. He held the boy close to his heart, clinging with all his might. "I'm going to hold onto you this time," He murmured in a low voice in Aster's ear, "I'm going to hold onto you with all my might, and never let go."

"Stop trying to turn this into some soap opera," Aster muttered, laying his cheek on Chazz's shoulder and tucking his head slightly under Chazz's chin, "I like it better when you're not trying to be romantic. When you try to resist me." He smiled a bit.

"Oh, come on…at least give me some credit," Chazz hissed, "Now see there! You just totally _ruined_ it! Damn. I try to do anything for you, and what do you do? Complain! I have never--!"

Aster cut him off by gluing his mouth to Chazz's. A red streak crept across Chazz's nose, as a look of agitation and frustration came to his face. Smiling, Aster pulled an inch away and whispered, "That's my Chazz."

Chazz let out an indignant "humph," yet seemed pleased enough. He cradled the younger boy in his arms and, grazing his lips to his cheek, "I love you, Aster Phoenix, I love you more than anything else in this world."

Blushing, Aster replied, "And I love you too, Chazz Princeton. No matter how crazy you may get, I'll always be here for you."

"Move in with me?" Chazz grinned.

"I like the left side of the bed." Aster replied, his nose going slightly in the air, "And you'll have to clean up to make room for all my stuff."

"As long as I'm seme," Chazz snickered.

"Hey, we'll see." Aster winked at him, then pulled his head down for another kiss, "Just don't move too fast…"

"I could never do that to my angel," Chazz told him, kissing him.

"You've won my trust." Aster beamed at him and nuzzled the crook of his neck.

Their lips collided again and again in many small kisses. The small kisses turned into longer ones, and soon involved their tongues. However, they went no farther than that. Chazz was by no means going to hurt Aster like his brothers had. He was a different person. And from then on, Aster would be his, and he would be Aster's guardian angel. They had a new life together ahead of them, and nothing was ever going to tear them apart again.

THE END

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**A/N: So, what'd you think? Sorry for the crap ending and yeah it seemed to move a bit fast but…I'm sorry. I have no excuse…DX**


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